{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O133288"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O133288/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017JU9885/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017JU9885/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2017JU9885","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017JU9889","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KA4287","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KA4291","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O133288","accessionNumber":"S.582:1/10-2006","objectType":"Sailor suit","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This sailor suit was hired or purchased by Oliver from Morris Angel, one of the leading theatrical costumiers, who also maintained a large department hiring out costumes for fancy dress and costume balls.  \r\n\r\nThese balls were a feature of social life in the 20th century, especially in the 1920s and 1930s and even into the 1950s and Messel was frequently a guest at many of those given by highest society.  He also attended more bohemian social events, such as the Chelsea Arts Ball, where everyone tried to outdo each other in ever more imaginative and outlandish costumes - in which company this sailor suit would have stood out by its very simplicity.\r\n\r\nOliver Messel (1904-1978) was Britain's leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, working in every aspect of entertainment - ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue - as well as in interior decoration and textile design.  His lavish, painterly and romantic designs informed by period styles, were perfectly in tune with his times and earned him an international reputation.  By 1960, however, Messel's style had become unfashionable, having no sympathy with the new 'kitchen sink' school of theatre.  He increasingly concentrated on his non-theatrical painting and designing and eventually retired to the Caribbean, where he began a new career designing and building highly idiosyncratic luxury villas.","physicalDescription":"Sailor suit fancy dress costume consisting of:\nSailor jacket of dark navy wool with square sailor collar. The lower sleeve fastens with two wooden buttons and is faced with blue black cotton\r\nPair of dark navy wool trousers with buttoned fall front and fly fastening with wooden buttons for the attachment of braces\r\nDetachable dark navy cotton sailor collar with three lines of fine white cotton tape inside the edge, with striped lining. At the back of the neck are cotton tape loops\r\nCream cotton jersey t-shirt with brief sleeves and round neck, both edged with black tape. On the chest is embroidered an unidentified logo around which are two 'laurel' strips and the  letters O B N.\r\nSquare scarf of black cotton.\r\nShort off-white woolen tabard with wide, high square-cut neck bound with blue black cotton tape, fastening at the bottom sides with cotton ties\r\nWhite cotton sailor hat with the words 'HMS Benbow' in gold on the black ribbon band, lined with grey cotton, with a black cotton chinstrap\r\nWhite cotton sailor hat with the words 'HMS Pembroke' in gold on the black ribbon band, lined with grey cotton, with a black cotton chinstrap","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Morris Angel","id":"A12596"},"association":{"text":"retailer","id":"AAT25246"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"cotton (textile)","id":"AAT14067"},{"text":"braid","id":"AAT232186"},{"text":"wool (textile)","id":"AAT243430"},{"text":"cotton jersey","id":"x30560"}],"techniques":[{"text":"machine stitching","id":"x29587"},{"text":"hand stitching","id":"x30413"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Costumes","id":"THES269529"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2017JU9885","2017JU9889","2017KA4287","2017KA4291"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366641"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366641"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366641"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366641"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366641"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366641"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366641"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366641"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"014","id":"THES308902"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"014","id":"THES308902"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"fancy dress","id":"AAT224229"}],[{"text":"jacket","id":""}],[{"text":"fancy dress","id":"AAT224229"}],[{"text":"trousers","id":""}],[{"text":"fancy dress","id":"AAT224229"}],[{"text":"collar","id":""}],[{"text":"collars (neckwear)","id":"AAT210058"}],[{"text":"theatre costumes","id":"x47007"}],[{"text":"fancy dress","id":"AAT224229"}],[{"text":"t-shirt","id":""}],[{"text":"fancy dress","id":"AAT224229"}],[{"text":"scarf","id":""}],[{"text":"fancy dress","id":"AAT224229"}],[{"text":"tabard","id":""}],[{"text":"fancy dress","id":"AAT224229"}],[{"text":"tabard","id":""}],[{"text":"fancy dress","id":"AAT224229"}],[{"text":"hats","id":"AAT46106"}],[{"text":"fancy dress","id":"AAT224229"}],[{"text":"hat","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[],"productionDates":[],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Acquired with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Friends of the V&A","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"MY7 SAILOR SUIT. / AND. 8 / CHINERSE MANDARIN COSTUME, BELONGED TO MY FATHER ALSO, AND WORE IT FOR CHELSEA ARTS BALL.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"handwritten"}],"objectHistory":"The sailor suit has a Morris Angel label and was probably acquired by Messel to wear at a costume ball.  \r\nLord Snowdon, Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's theatre designs and other designs and artefacts.  The designs were briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being housed at the V&A from 1981 on indefinite loan.  The V&A Theatre Museum purchased the Oliver Messel collection from Lord Snowdon in 2005.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Sailor suit fancy dress costume worn by Oliver Messel","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.582:1-2006","S.582:2-2006","S.582:3-2006","S.582:4-2006","S.582:5-2006","S.582:6-2006","S.582:7-2006","S.582:8-2006","S.582:9-2006","S.582:10-2006"],"accessionNumberNum":"582","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2006,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","fancy dress [1]","fancy dress [2]","fancy dress [3]","fancy dress [4]","fancy dress [5]","fancy dress [6]","fancy dress [7]","fancy dress [8]","fancy dress [9]","fancy dress [10]"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-24","recordCreationDate":"2007-03-20","availableToBook":true}}