A fine Schiaparelli couture and Lesage embroidered salmon-pink faille bolero jacket, circa 1948. Photo Kerry Taylor Auctions.
red on white ‘Schiaparelli 21 Place Vendôme, Paris’ label, heavily embellished with pearlised sequins, appliquéd with puckered ombré velvet amoeba-shaped motifs with radiating gilt tinsel strip aureolas, and dotted with iridescent celluloid bell-shaped pendants studded with crystals, the jacket with wide collar, slightly flared hem, full sleeves caught into cuffs, each with prestuds to adjust the opening on the inside, lined in salmon-pink silk, bust approx 92cm, 36in
Provenance: previously owned by Mrs Chance Vought, widowed and later married to Artario Prochet. She wore the jacket to a ‘Come as a Song’ party as ‘Bolero’. She was best friend of Schiaparelli’s daughter, GoGo Berenson and godmother of GoGo’s two daughters Marisa and Berry Berenson (she hosted both their weddings). The ‘red label’ is unusual – the typography normally found on Schiaparelli’s Paris and London labels is black on white. The red label has very occasionally been found on garments dating from the 1930s and 40s and it is possible that it denoted a special order, VIP or friend. The quality and sheer volume of decoration on this jacket is outstanding. Its condition is remarkable when taking into consideration the delicacy and fragility of the numerous iridescent pendants and the vermicular tracery of shimmering sequins.
Kerry Taylor Auctions. Jun 24, 2014. 249 Long Lane, London, SE1 4PR, United Kingdom
