2014.40.1

Images (4)

Faking_It_13 Left to right 2013.3.1 (shoes case), 78.222.2 (comb case), P87.20.30 (comb case), 67.127.1 (dress), 82.205.2 (valance wall), 82.205.1A (textile wall), 74.36.27 (gold dress), 2014.40.1 (coat), 76.125.1 (dress), 78.237.7 (black dress), 2013.5.2 (dress), 81.61.10 (red coat), 2003.102.1 (dress), 72.54.2 (orange dress)

Faking_It_02 Left to right 2013.3.1 (shoes case), 78.222.2 (comb case), P87.20.30 (comb case), 67.127.1 (dress), 74.36.27 (gold dress), 2014.40.1 (coat), 76.125.1 (dress), 82.205.2 (valance wall), 82.205.1A (textile wall)

Faking_It_15 82.205.2 (valance wall), 82.205.1 (textile wall), 74.36.27 (gold dress), 2014.40.1 (coat)

Object: Evening coat

Designer: Paul Poiret (1879 - 1944)

Date: Spring 1917

Medium: Silk satin

Country: France

Credit Line: Museum purchase

Object number: 2014.40.1

DescriptionTaupe silk satin evening wrap coat with cream lining and brown fringe trim, scalloped petals at shoulders, tassel fringe and ribbed silk at tab lengths, button and loop closure at upper sleeve and shoulder

Label Text:Paul Poiret was one of the first couturiers to experiment with a ready-to-wear collection. This evening coat, described in a 1917 catalogue as “the ideal summer wrap for all sophisticated occasions,” was produced as a sample for a ready-to-wear line that the designer created especially for the American market. Poiret conceived the more accessible line as a safeguard against unauthorized copying; however, the design never went into production. Titled “Caleche,” the coat resembles an ionic chiton, a classical Greek garment with a large piece of fabric draped over the shoulders. It features more than fifty functional buttons on the sleeves and shoulders.

Exhibitions:

Faking It: Originals, Copies, and Counterfeits