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Evening Dress

February 1962 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Full-length dress consisting of a gathered skirt of matte cream silk gazar and a bodice of black lace with a boned foundation. The bodice has lace frills framing the wide off-the-shoulder neckline and trimming the three quarter length sleeves. Black satin bows peep from below the black lace at neck and bust level, and a black satin ribbon tieds round the waist. There is a side zip fastening.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk gazar, lace and satin ribbon
Brief description
Evening dress of silk gazar and lace, designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, February 1962.
Physical description
Full-length dress consisting of a gathered skirt of matte cream silk gazar and a bodice of black lace with a boned foundation. The bodice has lace frills framing the wide off-the-shoulder neckline and trimming the three quarter length sleeves. Black satin bows peep from below the black lace at neck and bust level, and a black satin ribbon tieds round the waist. There is a side zip fastening.
Production typeHaute couture
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Balenciaga, 10 Avenue George V, Paris' (Label, machine woven black on white, inside side seam of bodice)
  • '81683' (Hand-written on back of label)
Gallery label
BLACK LACE To create drama, Balenciaga frequently layered black lace over a contrasting fabric. Here his debt is to the mantilla, a shawl which women use to cover their heads and shoulders during religious ceremonies and special events. By the mid- 19th century, mantillas had become emblematic of Spain, partly as a result of the portraits of Francisco de Goya. Evening dress Silk gazar and lace Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1962 Given by Mrs Ian Fleming V&A: T.28-1974(27/05/2017-07/02/2018)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Ian Fleming
Object history
Worn and given by Mrs Ian Fleming
Historical context
Ann Charteris (1913-81) married her third husband Ian Fleming in 1952, the year in which he began to write the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale (published in 1953). They were still living together at the time she bought and wore this dress, though they were not a conventional married couple. Ann was known for her rich social life and her qualities as hostess, for which no doubt this kind of couture garment was indispensable. After Fleming's death in 1964, she benefited from the royalties from his books and the exploitation of the Bond franchise.

Associations
Bibliographic references
Other number
139 - Model number
Collection
Accession number
T.28-1974

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Record createdFebruary 28, 2005
Record URL
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