Design: Erte Irrepressible at 90

The master of art deco celebrates with four shows

In 1926, when Erté made an electrifying appearance at the Paris Opera costume ball, he was dressed in a toreador outfit of varying shades of gold lame. "That night," he recalls, "the huge cape I designed was completely lined with fresh red roses which I tossed, one by one, at my audience as I descended the grand staircase." Though the glitter of the gold fabric has dimmed a trifle, and Erte has just turned 90, both the costume and the celebrated designer were on hand at the opening of a retrospective at the...

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