Evening jacket

In some instances-exceptions to her practice of purchasing a total runway "look" from head to toe-Mrs. Kempner would acquire a single item, often a jacket or blouse. She articulated her approach in Vogue: "I regard clothes as an investment. I collect pieces that work together with what I already have in my wardrobe." A spectacular Christian Lacroix bodice is an example of this strategy of adding an important accent piece to extend the possibilities of her wardrobe. The bodice is a particularly masterful construction of mitered stripes and complex draping. A signature Lacroix work, its full gigot sleeves, narrowly fitted waist, and vestigial peplum represent both the designer's technical virtuosity, and his historicizing impulses.