{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O117953"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O117953/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PG1223/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PG1223/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2025PG1223","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2025PF9481","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2025PF9516","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2025PG0437","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2025PF9515","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BK4735","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BK4737","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BK4738","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BK4736","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2013GB0253","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2013GB0254","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2013GB0255","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O117953","accessionNumber":"T.59-2005","objectType":"Evening coat","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973) was one of the world’s revolutionary fashion designers. Her  couture house, one of the most discussed of interwar Paris, redefined fashionable taste and  perceptions of beauty in the 20th century. With no formal training, she launched her first fashion  collection in 1927. Her bold, often audacious, haute couture creations soon made her the designer  of choice for a confident clientele. Within five years, Maison Schiaparelli employed 400 staff  who created over 7000 couture garments each year.  \r\n\r\nOften designing to confront and shock, Schiaparelli’s radical approach embraced the new  and experimental, resulting in clothes that were resolutely modern. Perhaps more than any fashion  designer of the era, Schiaparelli urged textile manufacturers to bring her their newest  and best materials. At the same time, Schiaparelli’s impact extended beyond fashion and  she possessed a vibrant artistic sensibility. Embedded within Europe’s creative avant-garde, she  positioned her work in direct dialogue with art, design and performance. Her collaborations with  artists, including Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau and Meret Oppenheim, led to some of her  most radical and memorable designs for clothing, accessories and jewellery. In 1954,  Schiaparelli officially retired and closed the doors of her couture salon. She left an  enduring mark on the world of fashion and a creative legacy that spanned the cities  of Paris, London and New York.  \r\n\r\nThis evening coat is an example of her close artistic collaboration with the French artist, poet and film maker Jean Cocteau (1889-1963).  Cocteau produced two drawings for Schiaparelli which were translated into designs for a jacket and this evening coat for the Spring 1937 collection. The design reveals Cocteau's preoccupation with the double image, a motif he consistently returned to in his work.  The strong linear design on this coat can be read as two profiles facing each other, and in the negative space, a vase of roses standing on a fluted column.","physicalDescription":"An ankle-length coat of black silk jersey by Schiaparelli.  The collarless neckline with short lapels and the waist with a single black ceramic button having a design of a petticoated skirt and dancing leg, the hook fastening beneath.  The back bodice designed by Jean Cocteau and embroidered by Maison Lesage with confronting facial profiles in gold thread forming a shaped vase filled with roses of tucked pink silk and leaves of green thread decorating the upper back and shoulders, the eyes of a blue stone and the lips of red foil, the centre back skirt with applied gold thread to imitate pleats.  The lining is of sea green silk (shattered) and interlining of black wool, labelled Schiaparelli London and numbered 4995.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Schiaparelli, Elsa","id":"A2375"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Cocteau, Jean","id":"A7817"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Lesage","id":"A14929"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"AAT251917"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"silk jersey","id":"x30419"},{"text":"silk (textile)","id":"AAT243428"},{"text":"gold thread","id":"x30128"},{"text":"wool (textile)","id":"AAT243430"}],"techniques":[{"text":"Applique","id":"AAT53646"},{"text":"embroidering","id":"AAT53653"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Silk jersey, with gold thread and silk embroidery and applied decoration in silk","categories":[{"text":"Evening wear","id":"THES48999"},{"text":"Fashion","id":"THES48957"},{"text":"Embroidery","id":"THES48960"}],"styles":[{"text":"Surrealist","id":"AAT21512"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2025PG1223","2025PF9481","2025PF9516","2025PG0437","2025PF9515","2006BK4735","2006BK4737","2006BK4738","2006BK4736","2013GB0253","2013GB0254","2013GB0255"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"SAINS","id":"THES276095"},"free":"","case":"FIG070","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Coat","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1937","earliest":"1937-01-01","latest":"1937-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by the American Friends of the V&A","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Width","value":"53.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"intact panel of silk, including selvedges","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Schiaparelli London'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Label."},{"content":"'4995'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Number on the back of the label, hand-written."}],"objectHistory":"Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973) was one of the world’s revolutionary fashion designers. Her couture house, one of the most discussed of interwar Paris, redefined fashionable taste and perceptions of beauty in the 20th century.  With no formal training, she launched her first fashion collection in 1927. Her bold, often audacious, haute couture creations soon made her the designer of choice for a confident clientele. Within five years, Maison Schiaparelli employed 400 staff who created over 7000 couture garments each year.  \r\n\r\nOften designing to confront and shock, Schiaparelli’s radical approach embraced the new and experimental, resulting in clothes that were resolutely modern. Perhaps more than any fashion designer of the era, Schiaparelli urged textile manufacturers to bring her their newest and best materials. At the same time, Schiaparelli’s impact extended beyond fashion and she possessed a vibrant artistic sensibility. Embedded within Europe’s creative avantgarde, she positioned her work in direct dialogue with art, design and performance. Her collaborations with artists, including Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau and Meret Oppenheim, led to some of her most radical and memorable designs for clothing, accessories and jewellery. In 1954, Schiaparelli officially retired and closed the doors of her couture salon. She left an enduring mark on the world of fashion and a creative legacy that spanned the cities of Paris, London and New York.  \r\n\r\nThis evening coat designed by Schiaparelli, is a striking example of her close artistic collaboration with the French artist, poet and film maker Jean Cocteau. Cocteau produced two drawings for Schiaparelli which were translated into a design for an evening coat and a jacket for the Spring 1937 collection. The design for this evening coat reveals Cocteau's preoccupation with the double image, a motif he consistently returned to in his work. The strong linear design on this coat can be read as two profiles facing each other, and in the negative space, a vase of roses standing on a fluted column. The use of bold lines to define the composition is typical of Cocteau's style and was translated into embroidery by the Paris firm of Lesage.\r\n\r\nDilys Blum, curator of Fashion and Textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and author of  <font -i>Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli </font>has suggested that the double profile design on the reverse of the coat may represent Tristan and Isolde. \r\n\r\nAnother example of this evening coat design is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (part of the Schiaparelli bequest). However the example in Philadelphia has faded to a mid-lavender and the design differs slightly. In the V&A's example, the appliqué roses are more profuse, covering the shoulders; the collar is lower and the column motif has four flutes rather than the five found on the Philadelphia example. The shape of the back panel may also differ.\r\n\r\nProvenance:\r\nThe coat was purchased from Schiaparelli's London salon by the Viscountess Doris Castlerosse (1901-1942, nee De Lavigne, first wife of Valentine Browne, Lord Castlerosse, later 6th Earl of Kenmare).\r\nThe Viscountess was a leading socialite of the 1930s.  She was a close friend of Cecil Beaton and posed for several photographic portraits. Married to the Viscount Castleroose, the couple bought and lived in the Palazzo Venier in Venice. Late in 1948, Peggy Guggenheim purchased the Palazzo from the heirs of the Viscountess.\r\n\r\nThe coat has remained with the family and was been worn up until it joined the V&amp;A collection.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Ankle-length coat of black silk jersey with facial profiles forming a rose-filled vase, Elsa Schiaparelli, Jean Cocteau and Lesage, London, 1937.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Dilys E. Blum, <font -i>Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli </font> (Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2003), p.140."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Harper's Bazaar, USA edition, September 1937"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Poster for <font -i>Les enfants terribles </font> 1950 by Cocteau; offset lithograph, 165 x 122cm."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Painting by Cocteau, <font -i>The Etruscan Vase </font> ; oil on canvas, 73 x 60cm, 1952.  Private collection."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Brooch by Salvador Dali, <font -i>Tristan and Isolde </font> , 1953; 18 karat yellow gold, patinum, diamonds.  Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali"}],"production":"Spring 1937 collection. Working from 21 Place Vendôme in Paris, Elsa Schiaparelli opened her London premises at 6 Upper Grosvenor Street in 1933.\n\nReason For Production: Commission","productionType":{"text":"Haute couture","id":"THES48861"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Beaton","id":"N2787"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"flowers","id":"x31099"},{"text":"leaves","id":"x31545"},{"text":"vase","id":"AAT132254"},{"text":"human faces","id":"x36025"},{"text":"urns","id":"AAT129425"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"<b>Fashion Galleries, Gallery 40 (2012)</b>\r\n\r\nEvening coat\r\nElsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973)\r\nSpring 1937\r\n\r\nElsa Schiaparelli’s designs were characterised by their witty, Surrealist-inspired details. This coat depicts a profusion of roses in an urn which can also be viewed as two faces in profile. The double image held a particular fascination for Surrealists such as Salvador Dalí. The embroidery is by the Paris house of Lesage, after a drawing by Jean Cocteau. The coat was ordered from Schiaparelli’s London house by the Viscountess Doris Castlerosse, a leading socialite of the 1930s.\r\n\r\nLondon\r\nSilk jersey, with gold thread and silk embroidery and applied decoration in silk\r\nWorn by Doris Castlerosse\r\nGiven by the American Friends of the V&A\r\nMuseum no. T.59-2005","date":{"text":"2012","earliest":"2012-01-01","latest":"2012-12-31"}},{"text":"<i><b>Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art</b></i><b> (March - November 2026)</b>\n\nMirror, mirror\n\nSchiaparelli launched her Spring 1937 collection to mark the Exposition Internationale in Paris, where she exhibited alongside other artists and designers, many reviving an aesthetic inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. Jean Cocteau blended classical motifs and surrealist techniques in his drawings of mirrored, kissing faces which, in profile, trace an urn of roses and a draped cloth. The image was embroidered onto the reverse of this coat, with stitched golden lines creating an illusionistic fluted column below.\n\nEvening coat\r\nElsa Schiaparelli with Jean Cocteau\r\nSpring 1937\r\nDesigned in Paris; made in London\r\nSilk jersey, gilded metal and silk thread, appliquéed silk\r\nV&amp;A: T.59-2005\r\nGiven by the American Friends of the V&amp;A","date":{"text":"2026","earliest":"2026-01-01","latest":"2026-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["T.59-2005"],"accessionNumberNum":"59","accessionNumberPrefix":"T","accessionYear":2005,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Number on label","id":"THES56954"},"number":"4995"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-07-30","recordCreationDate":"2005-10-28","availableToBook":false}}