Jacket

Art Historical Context

This elegant wool and silk jacket, crafted by Au Bon Marché/M A. Boucicaut around 1888–90, the dawn of modern retail fashion in France. Au Bon Marché, Paris's pioneering department store founded in 1852 byide Boucicaut, revolutionized shopping by offering ready-to-wear garments to a broad audience, blending luxury with accessibility. Previously, high fashion was bespoke; this jacket reflects the era's shift toward mass-produced elegance, making stylish attire available beyond the elite. The tailored design, constructed from durable wool for structure and lustrous silk for refined accents, captures late 19th-century French women's fashion trends—structured silhouettes with fitted bodices inspired by the bustle era's evolution. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, it highlights how textiles like these combined practicality with opulence, symbolizing France's enduring cultural dominance in couture. A gift to the museum in 1957, this piece invites us to appreciate how department stores like Au Bon Marché democratized style, paving the way for today's global fashion industry.