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Evening Dress

1960-1962 (made)
Artist/Maker
Cristóbal Balenciaga (designer)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

Short evening dress of white wild silk, with hand embroidered coloured floral motifs in the Chinese style. It is fitted and has a wide round neck, slightly lower at the back. It is sleeveless and has a side zip fastening. The dress is fully lined with white silk.

Object details

Categories
Embroidery
Fashion
Clothing
Evening Wear
Europeana Fashion Project
Object type
Evening dress
Materials and techniques
Embroidered wild silk lined with silk
Silk (Textile)
Embroidering
Weaving
Brief description
Embroidered wild silk evening dress, designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1960-62
Physical description
Short evening dress of white wild silk, with hand embroidered coloured floral motifs in the Chinese style. It is fitted and has a wide round neck, slightly lower at the back. It is sleeveless and has a side zip fastening. The dress is fully lined with white silk.
Dimensions
  • Length: 1120mm (Centre back)
  • Circumference: 620cm (Waist)
  • Circumference: Bustcm (79)
  • Circumference: 770mm (Ribcage)
  • Circumference: 470mm (470)
  • Circumference: 1340mm (Around hem )
Gallery label
(27/05/2017-07/02/2018)
EMBROIDERED ‘TO SHAPE’
This dress is embroidered ‘to shape’. The pattern pieces arrived at the embroiderer’s workshop already measured, with the seam and hem allowances marked. To ensure no needlework was wasted, the embroiderer stitched only within the designated areas. Eight curved panels make up the body of the dress, ensuring it hugged the wearer. Balenciaga designed it to be full-length, making the most of the unusual pattern. This shorter version was probably made at the client’s request.

Cocktail dress
Wild silk, with embroidery by Lesage
Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris,
1960–2
Given by Viscountess Lambton
V&A: T.27-1974
Credit line
Given by Viscountess Lambton
Object history
Worn and given by Viscountess Lambton
Historical context
Belinda Blew-Jones (1921-2003) - known as Bindy - was married to Lord Anthony Claud Frederick Lambton, 6th Earl of Durham in 1942. He disclaimed his peerage to sit as an MP (for Berwick-upon-Tweed), and used the title Viscount Lambton. The couple lived in a reputedly haunted Georgian house in Mayfair, where Lady Lambton was able to indulge her interest in lavish entertainments. She was a favourite subject in portraits by her friend, Lucien Freud.
Subject depicted
Flowers
Association
Lambton, Anthony (Viscount)
Bibliographic reference
Fashion : An Anthology by Cecil Beaton. London : H.M.S.O., 1971 no. 18
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.27-1974

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Record createdFebruary 28, 2005
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O109714/evening-dress-cristóbal-balenciaga/
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