Evening Coat

Around 1907 Mariano Fortuny perfected a process that enabled him to make fine pleats in lightweight silk. He fashioned lengths of this fabric into one of the most revolutionary garments of the twentieth century—the Delphos gown. Inspired by classical statuary, this columnar dress fell from the shoulders and clung to the body. It was a timeless shape in sharp contrast to the fashions of the period. Along with his dresses, Fortuny designed soft velvet coats and jackets. These were often embellished with gold and silver powders adhered to the surface with albumin, a natural paste, in large-scale patterns inspired by historical fabrics. This three quarter-length coat is decorated with a Renaissance-inspired pomegranate pattern printed with gold metallic powder on dark brown silk velvet.

Fortuny was one of the most forward-looking designers of the early twentieth century, whose designs were the precursors of the simpler cuts of the 1920s.