#2005 $1,500
Burnous-style evening wrap, c.1910
The burnous-style evening cloak was made popular in the early 1900s by Liberty & Co. The style, derived from Middle Eastern cloaks, was worn by the fashion cognoscenti of the period as an evening wrap. The suggestion of an ethnic source endowed the wearer with an aura of drama and mystery.
Our unlabeled wrap was probably created by one of many design houses that adopted this popular style. The wrap is fashioned from a heavenly shade of purple silk chiffon. The sheer fabric floats over the body, moving with the wearer. There are slits in front for the arms. There is no closure—I had to pin the wrap in front to hold it on the rigid mannequin.
I love the Persian-style embroidered borders! The hand-embroidered pattern, worked in chain stitch, combines silk floss stylized flowers with bronze metallic vines.
One fashion trend from 100 years ago that is coming back is ethnic clothing. A friend recently showed me an old, out-of-print book on fashion history. I did a double take when I saw several pictures of Jean-Philippe Worth dressed in exotic ethnic costumes. Then I recalled how common it was among fashion cognoscenti of the late 19th and early 20th centuries to have collections of historic ethnic textiles; and to dress in them; and to party in them, e.g., the 1002 Nights Ball given by Paul Poiret on July 24, 1911 in his Paris house.
The condition is excellent and wearable.
One size fits all.
