Victorian Black & White Silk Damask With Velvet And Handmade Lace Belle Epoch Swing Coat From Paris Morphew Online, Stores

This incredible piece is an evening coat from between about 1895 and 1905, and resembles closely the finest museum examples designed by the likes of Charles Worth. With a generous body of silk brocade, a yoke and sleeves of rich velvet, and insets of stunning lace and passementerie, it is a truly incredible concoction of all the most luxurious and precious materials from the turn of the century. The sheen of the floral brocade is perfectly accented by the deep black of the velvet, and the cream silk lining shows off the inset lace to perfection. The lace itself is complex bobbin lace with further embroidered embellishment, and is bordered on all sides by wide bands of ribbon and passementerie cording. Piped seams connect the cuffs to the sleeves and the collar to the yoke, and a ruffle of lace around the neck echoes the high lacey collars popular on gowns and shirtwaists of this period. Historical standards of construction tend to be somewhat haphazard compared with modern couture, but this piece is beautifully finished inside and out; even the row of hooks and eyes up the front have been individually inserted between the facing and the lining, and the lining has been carefully hand-stitched down. The height of luxury from the Gilded Age, it represents all the hope, confidence, and exuberance felt by the artists, inventors, and designers who aimed to propel our society into a new age of prosperity and refinement at the turn of the twentieth century. This is a truly remarkable piece worthy of any collection. Purchased in Paris this piece is ready and wearable to grace your fine wardrobe.

Decade: 1900s.

Material: Silk Damask.

Vintage condition: Excellent.