#1726 $795
Changeable silk cloak, c.1850
The color is electric! The cloak is fashioned from gorgeous changeable silk that shifts from blue to red. The dramatic style and superb finish are timeless, reminding us of Yves Saint Laurent's maxim: "Fashions fade, style is eternal."
The lining is rose silk expertly hand quilted with 12 stitches/inch. The edges are finished with self-corded piping and decorated with rose braided trim. The cloak is completely hand sewn. Structurally, the garment is a cape cut-in-one with the body. The faux sleeves cover the armhole openings.
Saint Laurent also denounced "la mode qui se démode," fashion that goes out of fashion because it is intended to do so. In the 1970s, the successors to the great couturiers tried to sweep away the idea of an elite based on wealth and style—the foundation of haute couture—with an elite of youth and zest. We now have returned to the idea of an elite on the cutting edge of style, as this cloak was in 1850 and as it is today.
The condition is almost excellent. The lining is slightly faded along the hem—see the picture below.
One size fits all. The cloak is 40" long from the shoulder to the hem.
