Monte Carlo evening dress
Evening Dress
1956 (made)
1956 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Christian Dior founded his Parisian fashion house in 1946, with backing from the textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac. On 12 February 1947, the House of Dior launched its first collection. Dubbed the ‘New Look’ by the press, the collection had an instant and unparalleled influence on fashion around the world.
This strapless dress was worn by Laurie Newton Sharp, News Editor for Harrods, for a 1956 goodwill tour to America to promote the store. It was said that she was 'the sort of impeccably elegant woman who carries an invisible mirror with her'.
In an interview with the News Chronicle just before her trip, she said: 'I prefer to have a few good basic clothes, and then to be extravagant with hats and gloves. I would not buy a material that creases; or an accessory which did not match; or a colour which did not suit me. This means that when I begin to dress I can’t go wrong'.
This dress, by Christian Dior (1905-57), was originally designed in plain white silk. Mrs Newton Sharp ordered it in this expensive floral print to suit her colouring. The outfit was completed with a top-coat of plain pink silk satin.
This strapless dress was worn by Laurie Newton Sharp, News Editor for Harrods, for a 1956 goodwill tour to America to promote the store. It was said that she was 'the sort of impeccably elegant woman who carries an invisible mirror with her'.
In an interview with the News Chronicle just before her trip, she said: 'I prefer to have a few good basic clothes, and then to be extravagant with hats and gloves. I would not buy a material that creases; or an accessory which did not match; or a colour which did not suit me. This means that when I begin to dress I can’t go wrong'.
This dress, by Christian Dior (1905-57), was originally designed in plain white silk. Mrs Newton Sharp ordered it in this expensive floral print to suit her colouring. The outfit was completed with a top-coat of plain pink silk satin.
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Object details
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| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Printed silk taffeta, lined with voile, cotton net, boned, nylon |
| Brief description | Monte Carlo evening dress, printed silk taffeta, Christian Dior haute couture spring/summer 1956, Flèche line, Paris, France |
| Physical description | One-piece strapless evening dress of chiné rose patterned cream silk taffeta. Shaped and draped at the bust, fitted at the waist with the skirt flaring gently out. The drapes from the centre of the bust, which are held by a long tagged ribbon bow, flow into the skirt. It fastens at the centre back and is lined with white voile. The under dress which is stitched to the front of the bodice is composed of a waist length cotton net, heavily boned brassiere hooking at the back to which is attached a white silk slip faced with net. The stiffened supporting petticoat attached to the brassiere is composed of three rows of nylon stiffened flounces. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Haute couture |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs Laurie Newton Sharp |
| Object history | RF number is 1968/1888. The dress was worn by the donor. The dress was ordered in the Paris salon and made in the French ateliers, although it is described in the News Chronicle as London Dior for publicity reasons, as the donor, Mrs. Laurie Newton Sharp was the News Editor for Harrodsand on a trip to America to publicise the store. She was the first person to hold the position of News Editor, which was created in 1953, to supervise the store's press and public relationships. The label was cut out as the donor wanted to present it as a London Dior. The dress was worn with a pink organza coat, not given, but described as simple and full. Dior commended Mrs Newton Sharp's appearance in the dress. His original design for the dress was in plain white silk. |
| Production | Spring/summer 1956, La Ligne Flèche (arrow line) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Christian Dior founded his Parisian fashion house in 1946, with backing from the textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac. On 12 February 1947, the House of Dior launched its first collection. Dubbed the ‘New Look’ by the press, the collection had an instant and unparalleled influence on fashion around the world. This strapless dress was worn by Laurie Newton Sharp, News Editor for Harrods, for a 1956 goodwill tour to America to promote the store. It was said that she was 'the sort of impeccably elegant woman who carries an invisible mirror with her'. In an interview with the News Chronicle just before her trip, she said: 'I prefer to have a few good basic clothes, and then to be extravagant with hats and gloves. I would not buy a material that creases; or an accessory which did not match; or a colour which did not suit me. This means that when I begin to dress I can’t go wrong'. This dress, by Christian Dior (1905-57), was originally designed in plain white silk. Mrs Newton Sharp ordered it in this expensive floral print to suit her colouring. The outfit was completed with a top-coat of plain pink silk satin. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | MA/1/T651 - RF number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.216-1968 |
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| Record created | October 10, 2005 |
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