Evening Dress
1948 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Balenciaga was the most exclusive fashion house in Paris immediately after World War II. The Spanish-born couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972), regarded by his peers as ‘the Master’, had moved to Paris from Spain in 1937. By 1952 he had 232 employees there and was producing 356 new designs per year. His clients, admitted to his salon only after a personal introduction, included many cosmopolitan women of different nationalities. Gloria Guinness (1912-80), who donated this dress to the V&A, was one of Balenciaga’s most loyal customers.
The style of this dress reflects the exaggerated padded hip shape of the ‘New Look’ made famous by Balenciaga’s contemporary, Christian Dior (1905-57). However, its sombre black, and pared down design is very typical of Balenciaga, who was inspired by Spanish religious dress and the paintings of clerics by Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664).
The style of this dress reflects the exaggerated padded hip shape of the ‘New Look’ made famous by Balenciaga’s contemporary, Christian Dior (1905-57). However, its sombre black, and pared down design is very typical of Balenciaga, who was inspired by Spanish religious dress and the paintings of clerics by Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Flocked silk organdie |
| Brief description | Evening dress of flocked silk organdie, designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1948. |
| Physical description | Evening dress of black organdie with self-coloured flock flowers. The dress has a low round neck, elbow-length sleeves and is a princess line with a full skirt. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | Evening dress (robe du soir)
Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972)
Paris
1948
Balenciaga inspired devotion and respect from his clients. This dress was made for the stylish and wealthy Gloria Guinness, who admitted to being 'a little afraid of not being good enough for the clothes.'
Silk organdie, flocked
Given by Mrs Gloria Guinness
V&A: T.16-1974(22/09/2007-06/01/2008) |
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Loel Guinness |
| Object history | Worn and given by Gloria Guinness. The date is attributed to Autumn 1953 by Mme. Jouve - former Balenciaga house archivist. The chronological house numbering system (46423) suggests that it is an earlier design, ca. 1948. Stylistically it could be late 1940s. |
| Historical context | Gloria Rubio y Alatorre, better known as Gloria Guinness (1912-1980) was an elegant socialite and writer of the mid 20th century. Her third husband, whom she married in 1951, was Group Capt. Thomas Loel Guinness, a Member of Parliament (died 1989) and an heir to the Guinness beer fortune. She was voted second 'Best Dressed Woman' in the world by Time magazine in 1962. Jackie Kennedy was in first place. (See Time magazine Jan 26 1962) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | Balenciaga was the most exclusive fashion house in Paris immediately after World War II. The Spanish-born couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972), regarded by his peers as ‘the Master’, had moved to Paris from Spain in 1937. By 1952 he had 232 employees there and was producing 356 new designs per year. His clients, admitted to his salon only after a personal introduction, included many cosmopolitan women of different nationalities. Gloria Guinness (1912-80), who donated this dress to the V&A, was one of Balenciaga’s most loyal customers. The style of this dress reflects the exaggerated padded hip shape of the ‘New Look’ made famous by Balenciaga’s contemporary, Christian Dior (1905-57). However, its sombre black, and pared down design is very typical of Balenciaga, who was inspired by Spanish religious dress and the paintings of clerics by Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664). |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other numbers |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.16-1974 |
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| Record created | February 21, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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