Attributed to Elsa Schiaparelli, designer

Evocative of chain-mail armor, these gloves suggest high drama and power. Elsa Schiaparelli began her career with knitwear items such as sweaters and beach attire, and her designs matured as she became influenced by the Surrealist and Dadaist movements and collaborated with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. The contrast here between the supple nature and light weight of the gold-colored yarn and the impression of heavy armor attests to the designer’s interest in Surrealism, where the irrational juxtaposition of images from dream and reality was seminal.