Trouser suit consisting of silk gaberdine tunic and trousers and embroidered blouse, designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, ca. 1966.

Trouser suit consisting of silk gabardine tunic and trousers, and a white blouse with openwork embroidery.

Given by Countess Bismarck

The legendary Mona, Countess Of Bismarck, was an icon of fashion and style. She was born to a humble home in Kentucky, but rose to high society, marrying a string of wealthy socialites. In 1933, luminaries of the couture world as Molyneaux, Lanvin, Vionnet, Lelong, and Chanel, got together and declared Mona to be "The best dressed Woman in the world".

Mona adored the simple elegance of haute couture, and indeed, Mona's patronage of Balenciaga has become a part of fashion legend. When Balenciaga closed the doors of his atelier in 1968, Mona didn't come out of her room for three days, according to fashion Doyenne Diana Vreeland, who was staying with her at the time.

In 1972 Mona's great friend Cecil Beaton persuaded her, and other high society ladies, to donate their wardrobes to the V&A. Beaton described Mona as "a rock-crystal goddess".

The legendary Mona, Countess Of Bismarck, defined the art of living well. A high society figure born from humble origins, for three decades from the 1930s through the 1950s, she was a permanent fixture in such style bibles as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Town and Country magazines. Perhaps her ultimate accolade came in 1933, when such luminaries of the couture world as Molyneaux, Lanvin, Vionnet, Lelong, and Chanel, got together and declared Mona to be "the best dressed woman in the world".

Born Mona Strader of Louisville, Kentucky, Mona came from a broken home. Her parents separated when she was five, leaving her grandmother and father to bring her up. Armed with considerable beauty, and innate charm, her rise to the world of high society and glamour that she craved so, came via a succession of marriages to wealthy men, her first at the age of twenty.

Mona and husband Harrison were the epitome of the American Dream, and the most glamourous couple of the twenties and thirties. Where they went, what they bought, and what Mona wore, provided endless subject matter for the nation's dinner parties. Mona's style was based around subtle elegance. She preferred the subdued, clean, and sparing lines of Charles James, Mainbocher, and Balenciaga.

In fact, Mona's patronage of Balenciaga has become a part of fashion Legend. When Balenciaga closed the doors of his atelier in 1968, Mona didn't come out of her room for three days, according to fashion Doyenne Diana Vreeland, who was staying with her at the time.

Mona's taste in fashion evolved from a highly developed and personal intuition. White was her signature colour. When black was the colour to be seen in, Mona rarely wore it until the late afternoon. Vogue commented that "she never orders the 'successes' in a collection, but instead the costume that is noticeable only on a second glance". When Mona visited Palm Beach in impeccably tailored white sportswear, Edna Chase, the formidable editor of Vogue, recalled her as "a dazzling figure".

In 1937, Mona met Count Edward Bismarck, the grandson of Germany's Iron Chancellor. "Eddie" was a homosexual, and his relationship with Mona was based on a profound friendship. With Harrison's approval, the two became inseparable, and in 1954, a year after Harrison's death, Mona became the Countess Bismarck.

Mona died in her mansion in Paris in 1983. Forever associated with a glamourous age long since passed, her popularity in fact went way beyond the boundaries of fashion, and was more like the kind reserved for a movie star. Perhaps the final words should go to society photographer Cecil Beaton, who adored Mona, a frequent subject for his lens. He described her as "a rock-crystal goddess".

This tunic was worn over trousers by Mona, Countess Bismark. It is an example of the work of the Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga who continued to move with the times in the 1960s. For many of his more mature clients, trousers were still considered masculine dress or informal holiday or lounging wear. In this case, the fabric of the tunic added a touch of femininity, with its machine-embroidery probably originating in Switzerland. The combination of high quality textiles and simple cut was typical of this phase of Balenciaga's work.

The relationship between the couturier and the wearer of this outfit was particularly close. The cosmopolitan and exceptionally wealthy Countess Bismarck patronised the house for 30 years, buying as many as 50 to 80 items from each collection. She appreciated this particular style as she purchased another similar suit in different materials (Museum no. T.36-1974).

T.37 to B -1974