Size 38 button-down brown blouse personally owned and used by Swedish-American movie actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990). Maker's label reads, “Battaglia, Milano, New York.” In fine condition.
Greta Garbo's sartorial style can best be characterized as relaxed classical. The actress had a European aesthetic; she prioritized comfort, practicality, and simplicity over fashion fads that were often short-lived or pain-inducing. She truly endorsed the adage of her favorite fashion designer, the Russian-American émigré Valentina Schlee (1899-1989): "fit the century, not the year." In this way, Garbo's fashions always appeared timeless.
At 5'7" tall and 125 lbs., Garbo maintained her lean and athletic figure through Pilates, yoga, and regular exercise. The dirty blonde haired, blue-eyed actress chose her clothing and accessories carefully to best showcase her body and face, and to cultivate a look of effortless elegance.
Garbo, along with fellow actresses Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich, are credited with popularizing androgynous clothing in mainstream American culture in the 1930s. Garbo appropriated traditionally masculine clothing, like Oxford blouses, turtlenecks, trousers, trench coats, and wide-brimmed hats, and made the look feminine. Several of Garbo's most famous "looks" incorporated such traditionally male clothing. Garbo preferred clothes that covered rather than revealed: long sleeves, low hemlines, and high necklines added to her mystique. The Swedish Sphinx was also known for her artistic use of accessories: belts, sunglasses, scarves, and hats ranging from cloches and berets to turbans and fedoras.