Unusual Two Piece Madame Butterfly Opera Dress & Coat. Late Edwardian Empire style high waisted black silk gauze dress, sewn with panels of black velvet faced in black satin; the Kimono style cocoon coat sewn with the gauze panels of black gauze over the velvet silk lined garment. Both dress and coat finely embroidered in the Chinese manner with butterflies of gilt wrapped thread, with red stitching. Light tail to dress and coat. Circa 1915 - 1920. {Approximate measurements}_x000B_Dress: _x000B_Shoulders: 17"_x000B_Bust 27" _x000B_Waist: 23 3/4. _x000B_Length 63" from shoulder, back to hem. _x000B_Coat: _x000B_Shoulders 22" _x000B_Length 52" from nape of neck to hem. Provenance: Sale of items to benefit the Monterey History and Art Association. This non-profit association has been a guiding force in preserving Monterey’s history since the founding of the association in 1931. Guarding Monterey’s precious historic assets and the preservation and presentation of its historical heritage for future enjoyment has been made possible by citizens who care and give generously of their time and resources._x000B__x000B_The Association’s mission is to share the histories and the diverse legacies of people, stories, and places that continue to shape Monterey. It possesses extensive collections of furnishings, paintings, photographs, costumes, books, manuscripts, and other artifacts focused on Monterey and California. Condition; Please note, the dress has deep decollete neck at front and back, which has made for some loose stitches over time. There are loose threads to the back, where the extreme cut may have been considered too revealing; similar stitching to the front is also loose. Note: The costume is in the manner of Poiret, but with a nod to Puccini's Madama Butterfly, first performed in 1904. Puccini wrote several versions of the opera which was first performed in the US in Washington, DC in 2006. The composer kept rewriting, with the standard version now considered the one written in 1907. The first performance in San Francisco was not until 1924, so this garment mayhave been made to be worn there, or to a performance of an earlier date elsewhere in the US or Europe._x000B__x000B_The French designer Worth created a sensation with his 1912 'Butterfly' dress that incorporated beaded wings colored as if a Lalique pin. Poiret's opera dresses and coats are more dramatic in color and style. Regardless of the maker of this evening ensemble, it is quite striking.