{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O138973"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O138973/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PM8871/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PM8871/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2026PM8871","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2026PM8870","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2026PM8869","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2026PM8868","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2026PM8867","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018LD1068","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018LD1065","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018LD1066","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018LD1067","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O138973","accessionNumber":"T.390-1974","objectType":"Evening cape","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.  \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.\n\nThis evening cape was part of Schiaperlli's Winter 1933 collection and demonstrates the designer's interest in experimental textiles and techniques.\r\n","physicalDescription":"Evening cape of gold and silver metallic looped lamé. It is semi-circular, cut in one with sleeves and hip-length.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Elsa Schiaparelli","id":"A2375"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"lamé","id":"AAT249446"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Metallic lamé fabric with pile texture","categories":[{"text":"Fashion","id":"THES48957"},{"text":"Evening wear","id":"THES48999"},{"text":"Clothing","id":"THES48975"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2026PM8871","2026PM8870","2026PM8869","2026PM8868","2026PM8867","2018LD1068","2018LD1065","2018LD1066","2018LD1067"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"SAINS","id":"THES276095"},"free":"","case":"FIG019","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Cape","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Paris","id":"x29068"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1933","earliest":"1933-01-01","latest":"1933-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Worn and given by an anonymous lady","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"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\nRef. Paris Centre de Documentation de Costume, <i>Schiaparelli, Album no 2</i>, 1933, no 2, p.410 (although shown in red Faille Cloqué)","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Evening cape of metallic looped lamé, designed by Schiaparelli, Paris, 1933.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"<i>Fashion : An Anthology by Cecil Beaton</i>. London : H.M.S.O., 1971","id":"AUTH354373"},"details":"","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Haute couture","id":"THES48861"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"<i><b>Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art</b></i><b> (March - November 2026)</b>\n\nAll that glitters\r\n\r\nEvening coats and capes helped to finish a Schiaparelli look. For the Winter 1933 collection, she offered military style, hip-length cloaks with raised collars. This example features a distinctive, looped-pile textile. Originally, the metal threads would have shone brightly. While they have tarnished over time, their dense tactility remains.\r\n\r\nElsa Schiaparelli Winter 1933\r\nParis\r\nLooped lamé (cloak); skirt (prop)\r\nV&A: T.390-1974\r\nGiven anonymously","date":{"text":"2026","earliest":"2026-01-01","latest":"2026-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["T.390-1974"],"accessionNumberNum":"390","accessionNumberPrefix":"T","accessionYear":1974,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-10-28","recordCreationDate":"2007-09-06","availableToBook":false}}