Wool evening coats and capes, particularly in bright reds, were featured by all the leading couturiers during August 1935, breaking with the tradition of employing wool for morning, silk for afternoon, and brocade or velvet for evening. The hit of the season, in keeping with the military theme of the collections, was Schiaparelli’s impeccably tailored floor-length coat made up in Ducharne’s vivid rouge gaulois, a thick wool twill similar to the cloth used for British Horse Guards’ uniforms. The gold snail-shaped buttons give the regimentally correct silhouette a touch of whimsy. Dilys E. Blum, from Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli (2003), p. 103-104.