Rare Romeo Gigli cape jacket from circa 1994 in woven gold lamé, an opulent, softly cut piece in the romantic, Eastern-inflected spirit that defined the designer’s work.

The cloth is an extremely light lamé with a golden, silk-like sheen, woven in fine horizontal bands of metallic thread and slubbed yarns in teal, pink, orange and green. The effect is chatoyant, shifting between antique gold and color as it moves. The cut is a wide, boxy cape jacket with dropped shoulders, an open front and a shawl collar that continues down the front edge in a self band. The sleeves are wide and kimono shaped, ending in deep turned back cuffs, and large patch pockets sit at the front. The short length lets the cape panels do all the movement.

Wear it open over a slim dress or a velvet skirt as shown, or over black tailoring for evening, where the metallic weave does the work of an accessory. Gigli built his name on rich fabric, rounded shapes and a quiet, narrow-shouldered romance, and this piece shows all three in a single garment.

Composition: composition tag missing. The cloth is an extremely light lamé with a golden, silk-like effect, but the fiber content can’t be confirmed.

Measurements laid flat: US S–L (oversized cape cut)
Pit to pit: 86cm / 33.9in flat (172cm / 67.7in circumference)
Length: 68cm / 26.8in
Sleeve: 35cm / 13.8in, measured from the mid-arm seam