86.142.3

Images (5)

Dior + Balenciaga, Left to right 86.142.5 (polka dot dress), 68.151.1 (yellow jacket), 86.142.3 (velvet evening coat)

Dior + Balenciaga, Left to right: 82.208.9 (grey dress), 71.213.25 (black dress), 75.86.5 (strapless evening dress), 86.142.5 (polka dot dress), 68.151.1 (yellow and black jacket), 86.142.3 (evening coat)

First_Rotation_49 Left to right 86.142.3 (velvet coat), 72.81.23 (coat), 81.69.20 (hat), 94.67.1 (hat), 73.6.406 (hat), 2005.6.1B (textile wall), 2005.6.1A (textile wall), P91.26.2 (black dress), 2005.23.1 (dress)

Fashion A-Z (I)_03 Left to right 92.34.1 (suit, shoes in case), 86.142.3 (velvet coat), 2008.2.2 (coat), 2007.22.7 (dress and jacket), 2007.36.10 (halter dress), 2006.17.1 (ensemble)

Object: Coat

Brand: Balenciaga (French, founded 1937)

Designer: Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895 - 1972)

Date: Fall 1950

Medium: Velvet

Country: France

Credit Line: Gift of Jerome Zipkin

Object number: 86.142.3

DescriptionEvening coat with broken stripes of grey, brown, tan and black spot velvet; tent style clutch coat, gathered below stand away roll collar, with long cuffed raglan bishop sleeve and curved hem; couture

Label Text:Balenciaga was a true sculptor in fabric, a master of cut and construction whose work approached pure form. Simple lines (the product of much subtlety and originality in cut) were executed in luxurious materials - in this case, broken stripes of gray, brown, tan, and black silk velvet. A reserved and intensely private man, Balenciaga has always been fervently admired by other designers and fashion insiders. One of his first admirers, Harper's Bazaar editor Carmel Snow, put it this way: "Nothing can be more mysterious than simplicity. It is impossible to describe or imitate. Simplicity is completeness - no more, no less."

Exhibitions:

50 Years of Fashion, 1947 - 1997
Dior + Balenciaga: The Kings of Couture and Their Legacies
Fashion & Textile History Gallery First Rotation
Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT (Part One)