Ceremonial Cape With Pagoda Sleeves By Maggy Rouff - Paris, Circa 1950

Circa 1950

France

A masterful coat—a ceremonial cape in white silk organza by Maggy Rouff, a renowned French haute couture house since 1929. A wide kimono-style cape cut on the bias from three panels forming a 180° semicircle, featuring three-quarter-length pagoda sleeves, in pleats of Chocking Pink silk faille. With a historicist aesthetic inspired by 18th-century dresses, this pleated cape with pleats at the shoulders is worn open and fastened with two bra straps. A white label with black lettering, sewn onto the side, reads “Maggy Rouff.” Very rare micro-spots of rust and slight yellowing in the pleats at the shoulders are the only flaws worth noting. No holes or stains. Good color and overall condition. A rare piece.

Dimensions: Large one-size-fits-all. Height 163 cm,  sleeve-to-sleeve length 125 cm, sleeve length 38 cm, sleeve circumference 80 cm, bottom cape circumference 685 cm.

Maggy Anna de Wagner, known as Maggy Rouff (1896–1971), of Austrian and Belgian descent, began her career in fashion design at Drecoll in 1912 and was close to Jeanne Paquin. In 1929, she bought the Rouff fashion house and moved to 136 Avenue des Champs-Élysées under the name Maggy Rouff, which she ran until 1948. By the 1930s, the Maggy Rouff fashion house had become one of the leading haute couture houses with an international reputation. In 1931, she traveled to the United States under the auspices of the Minister of Foreign Trade and gave a series of lectures on the art of fashion. Maggy Rouff was famous for her ceremonial splendor and was dubbed “the architect of couture” by the press; distinguishing herself through her work with asymmetry and technical precision.