Coco Chanel designed costumes for the 1939 ballet Bacchanale in collaboration with Salvador Dalí.
Bacchanale was a surrealist ballet created for the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo. Salvador Dalí designed the production’s sets and costumes, while Chanel contributed to the costume design. The work drew on imagery associated with the mythological Bacchus and the world of masquerade.
The collaboration shows Chanel working beyond conventional fashion presentation and into theatrical design. Her ballet and stage work connected her with leading writers, artists, composers, and choreographers of the period.
Bacchanale is distinct from Le Train bleu, the earlier Ballets Russes production for which Chanel also designed costumes.