Image
House of Chanel, design house
Ensemble, 1956
Description
Maker
- Coco Chanel, 1883-1971, French, designer
- House of Chanel, French, design house
Title
Ensemble
Year
1956
Medium
Silk rib weave (bengaline) with filled (trapunto) quilting and silk-satin belt
satin belt
satin belt
Type
Credit
-
Gift of Mrs. Georges Seligmann
Object Number
-
60.111.2
About
This black couture cocktail ensemble is made is made from a serviceable textile known as bengaline. Since the 1800s, bengaline had been utilized for mourning clothing, as its pronounced rib weave added visual appeal to strictly regulated and mostly black widows’ attire. Here Chanel transforms the textile further with the laborious stitching technique trapunto, creating a serpentine effect. The raised texture of trapunto is made by pricking the fabric with a needle and stuffing minuscule amounts of batting between the backing fabric and the face textile.
The pink satin belt with boning and diminutive bow complete the ensemble, adding just the right amount of softness to an otherwise very robust textile.
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Use
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