Evening dress
Throughout her career, Schiaparelli referenced the bustle of the late 19th century, particularly in her summer 1939 collection. Her collections from 1948 featured romantic, and as always, exciting designs. This example exhibits her enduring interest in the bustle form, as well as her talent for thoughtfully using the textile to suit her design. The dramatic gathering of the fabric into the bow at the back and the flared train is indicative of Schiaparelli's interest in the feminine form. The textile itself shows great visual appeal because the light bounces off the shiny white satin and matte lavender faille differently. This also gives the effect of the body being bisected into negative and positive spaces, as if alluding to the skeleton beneath the skin, a nod to her Surrealist ideas.
Artwork Details
- Title: Evening dress
- Designer: Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian, 1890–1973)
- Date: 1948
- Culture: French
- Medium: silk
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Claire Ramsay Roman, 1986
- Object Number: 2009.300.2923
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Elsa Schiaparelli
1950s
Elsa Schiaparelli
1950s
Elsa Schiaparelli
Henri Bendel
1938
Elsa Schiaparelli
1950s
Elsa Schiaparelli
R. H. Macy & Co.
1950s
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.