#c380 $5,950
Lelong beaded evening cape, c.1914
Early Lelong designs are particularly difficult to find intact. This one was custom-ordered by B. Altman. Throughout a long and illustrious career, Lucien Lelong was known for his inspired used of color. The incandescent brilliance of this important early piece intimates the creative genius of the master couturier: the exotic magenta lining adds depth to the graphic black and white composition.
The cape is fashioned from a luxurious mix of velvet, satin, and lace. The lower portion is black satin; the upper portion is ivory velvet covered with a cape-collar of black Chantilly lace. The cape is totally lined with heavenly magenta satin and is cut in panels, allowing a glimpse of the brilliantly colored lining. The style features slits for the arms and an attractive draped lower back.
The upper portion of the cape is embellished with an exotic beaded pattern of fans and flowers. The pattern includes a lively textural mix of opaque white glass beads, faux pearls, and padded metallic thread embroidery. The cape represents the pinnacle of dressmaking and embellishment; fashion as nothing less than art.
The neckline scarf, heavily weighted to stay in place, is the only closure. The scarf ends with an elaborate beaded tassel. The cape has two labels. One is the B. Altman store label and the other is a handwritten Lelong et Fried label—see the pictures below.
Born in Paris in 1889, Lucien Lelong grew up in the couture business. In 1886 his father, A.E. Lelong, founded a textile house, where Lucien worked, while aspiring to a career in fashion design. Although Lucien trained for a business career (1911-1913), he was always drawn to the craft and art of garment design. He designed his first collection for A.E. Lelong in 1907, according to History of Fashion in the 20th Century by Deslandres and Muller.
In the pre-WWI period, the Lelong family business diversified into high fashion, selling gowns, coats, and lingerie. Lucien was forced to delay the opening of his own salon until 1918 due to his service in the French Army during WWI. He was severely wounded and was among the first seven to be awarded the Croix de Guerre for his heroism.
Lucien Lelong became one of the most important and influential couturiers of the 20th century. He was justly celebrated for brilliant creativity in the use of fabric color and texture. Lelong was also known for his business innovation and acumen. As significant as his innovations were in the couture industry, they have perhaps unfairly overshadowed the sober and refined elegance of his style as a designer.
The cape itself is in the style seen just before WWI. The "Fried" on the label was probably Theodore Fried, a draftsman who worked with A.E. Lelong in the prewar years. The cape is from the House of Lelong. To make an attribution in early couture, absent documentary evidence, it is sometimes necessary to decide based on the style and dating of the piece itself.
For significant pieces like this cape, I focus on stylistic details, the appreciation of which is connoisseurship (the basis of aesthetic appreciation). Style and dating are naturally linked, since stylistic details are the key to dating.
I believe Lucien Lelong designed the cape for two reasons. First, he had already designed his initial collection in 1907, seven years before the dating of the cape. Second, the inspired use of fabric color and texture, so characteristic of the great couturier, points to the young Lucien. More important than the label is the piece itself, a magnificent example of pre-WWI couture.
The House of Lucien Lelong achieved great cachet among the wealthy and fashionable in the interwar years. His clients included the Duchess de la Rochefoucauld, Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, Colette, and Rose Kennedy. From 1937 to 1947, Lucien Lelong was President of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. During the German occupation of Paris in WWII, Lelong was most responsible for preventing the breakup of the Parisian couture industry.
Lelong preserved modern couture as we know it today by refusing the Nazis' demand that the industry be relocated to Berlin and Vienna. He told the Nazis, "You can force us to do anything you like, but Paris haute couture will never move, neither as a whole nor bit by bit. Either it stays in Paris or it ceases to exist."
Lelong understood how to spot talent, to train and nurture it. I find it hard to conceive of so much design firepower assembled under one roof at one time. During 1944-45 at Maison Lelong, Hubert de Givenchy was an apprentice, while the two assistant designers were Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain.
I worked as a patternmaker for several designers on Seventh Avenue. I cannot imagine helping the apprentice Givenchy in the morning; cutting the toiles under the supervision of assistant designers Dior and Balmain in the afternoon; and shopping for fabric with couturier Lucien Lelong in the evening. He was always described by Dior, Balmain, and Givenchy as their mentor.
The condition is almost excellent. The cape is unaltered and all original with no structural damage. The only issue is slight unevenness in the black satin color.
One size fits all. The cape is 49" long at the center-back.
