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Molyneux

Evening coat

Maker

Molyneux (1919 - 1950), design house
Edward H. Molyneux (British, 1891-1974), designer

Title

Evening coat

Year

ca. 1932

Medium

  • silk,
  • metallic yarn; plain weave,
  • quilted

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Silk,
  • metallic yarn; plain weave,
  • quilted

Materials

silk, metallic yarn

Dimensions

43.2 x 88.9 cm (17 x 35 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Label: Made in England
Modèle Molyneux
48. Grosvenor St. London

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of the Estate of Mrs. Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt Gerry

Object Number

59.031.4

Type

  • Costume

Exhibition History

Golden Glamour
The Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt Gerry Collection
Mar 13, 2015 – Jul 05, 2015

Label copy

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.

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Molyneux (1919 - 1950), design house
Edward H. Molyneux (British, 1891-1974), designer
Evening coat, ca. 1932
Silk, metallic yarn; plain weave, quilted
43.2 x 88.9 cm (17 x 35 inches)
Gift of the Estate of Mrs. Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt Gerry 59.031.4

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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