Object: Man's theatrical costume
Date: 1910
Medium: Silk velvet, silk satin, metallic, and cotton
Country: Russia
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: 2014.1.1
DescriptionMan's Orientalist style dance costume designed by Leon Bakst for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes Scheherazade; moss green bolero in silk velvet, slit at long sleeves & tarnished metallic braid trim; brown harem pants in polished cotton
Label Text:Léon Bakst's costume for a Young Man was created for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes 1910 production of 'Schéhérazade'. The costumes and sets for 'Schéhérazade' were pivotal in launching a vogue for Orientalist style. As Cecil Beaton recalled: “A fashion world that had been dominated by corsets, lace, feathers, and pastel shades soon found itself in a city that overnight had become a seraglio of vivid colours, harem skirts, beads, fringes, and voluptuousness . . . all of which could be traced back to Bakst.”
Exhibitions:
- Dance and Fashion