Molyneux, design house

Edith’s garments came from the toniest fashion houses of Paris, but glowing metallic fashions were also becoming increasingly popular in America. The strong shoulders and full drape of this evening coat evoke the fast-talking Hollywood heroines of the 1930s. English author Graham Greene described one such woman, actress Carole Lombard, as having “a figure to be swathed in silver lamé.”

The reflective nature of metallic fabrics translated beautifully to film, offering actresses an otherworldly glow. For Edith, who possessed a great love of the theater and fantasy, this quality must also have held great appeal, placing her in the “spotlight” wherever she went.