#kimono drape

Opera Coat
Jean-Philippe Worth
House of Worth
1912

In 1912, the dolman coat once again became a fashionable form of outerwear, reviving the silhouette that was popular during the 1870s and 1880s. Worn almost exclusively for evening, the coat’s draped silhouette was often cut like a kimono. The stunning velvet of this example by the House of Worth features oversized woodland flowers including cattails and jack-in-the pulpits.

Evening Coat
Paul Poiret
1924

Stunning cocoon evening coat of black georgette, hand beaded overall in lines of black beads switching to gray translucent beads with a geometric ragged edge formed at the color change. The coat has a velvet collar and edging at the aperture and velvet cord along the top of the shoulders extending down the full length of the arms. The dramatic dolman sleeves are emphasized by a careful placement of the beadwork pattern. The construction derives from draping techniques. The front falls from the shoulders and sweeps into a cutaway closure to attach at the lowered waist seam in the back. The coat has tremendous graphic impact with the beadwork shimmering and moving as the light hits the garment. Fully lined and faced with black silk.

Details of this coat published on full page (page 195) in the book, “Poiret: Paul Poiret 1879-1944”, by Yvonne Deslandres.

In addition, its draped construction with the minimal number of pattern pieces is typical of Poiret’s design techniques. The coat’s opulence and dramatic impact are hallmarks of Poiret’s style. Early in his career, he used the cocoon shape, which was inspired by traditional Japanese clothing.

This coat is a great example of the style which became known as Art Deco. The functional aspects of the design construction creates the geometric surface pattern of the beadwork and though minimal in form, the sculptural impact is dramatic and graphic in the round because of the graphics.