Gold Lamé Evening Gown

The real eye-catchers of this form-fitting dress are the shoulders, which are accented in thick arches and below which fall the puffed, top-stitched sleeves. The bodice has a semi-circular front neckline framed by a loose cowl and a deep-drawn V-neck in the back. The quilted skirt, which begins below the bust, has a central pleat and opens up at knee height. Godets inserted at the side and in the back offer a bell-like form. The gownback is diagonal cut. The diagonal left seam conceals a snapclosure. Italian native Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) began her career as a fashion designer with cubist sweater patterns. In contrast to her rival Coco Chanel Schiaparelli wanted her models to cause a stir. She was friendly with artists such as Salvador Dalí, whose surrealism influenced her work strongly. In 1933, Schiaparelli presented models with pagoda sleeves, which anticipated the wide shoulder of the 1940s. In 1934 she dressed as a Venetian bellboy for a fancy-dress ball, the arms of that costume were not unlike those of this lamé robe.