Evening dress
Valentina · 1939
Valentina
- Bias draping
- Theatrical costume
Valentina combined exacting construction with an outwardly simple line. The Met describes a blouse cut from a single piece of faille and shaped with darts, as well as her accomplished use of bias drapery.
Five looks to know
Collection selection
Evening dress
1939
Valentina designed this 1939 dress for Katharine Cornell to wear in the Broadway production No Time for Comedy. The Met connects its long, draped silhouette with medieval references and identifies the use of bias cutting. It demonstrates the close relationship between her fashion practice and clothing for performers.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of the Museum of the City of New York, 1964
Collection selection
Evening dress
ca. 1954
Valentina cut the blouse of this circa-1954 evening ensemble from a single piece of faille, shaping it with darts. The Met emphasizes the complexity behind its apparently simple construction. A dark upper body and pale, full skirt make its disciplined waist and contrasting proportions particularly clear.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Igor Kamlukin, 1996
Collection selection
Coat
1943 · V&A collection
Woven silk, button and metal hook and eye fastenings.
©Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Valentina
Collection selection
Evening dress
ca. 1934 · The Met collection
Silk.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Collection selection
Cape
1935–45 · The Met collection
Wool, silk.
The Metropolitan Museum of ArtArchive pieces, grouped by date
2 pieces1939
1 piece · Season not recorded
ca. 1954
1 piece · Season not recorded
Evening dress
Valentina · ca. 1954
About Valentina
Her work also crossed into theater: the 1939 dress included here was designed for Katharine Cornell's performance in No Time for Comedy.