Lady Alexandra Howard-Johnston (1907-97) was the wife of the Naval Attaché to Paris at the end of the 1940s. She required an extensive wardrobe for the many formal dinners and state functions that she had to attend.
Lady Alexandra dressed exclusively at the house of Jacques Fath (1912-54). The designer lent her evening and day dresses each season, aware of the publicity that this would give his house. She recalled 'If there was a dress I wanted to keep, I could pay sale price at the end of the season. I was not allowed to go to any other couturier, but I did not want to – Fath was perfection.'
Fath designed this dress for Lady Alexandra to wear for the official visit of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip to Paris in May 1948. Lady Alexandra recalled that when she arrived at the Théâtre de l’Opéra with her husband, the Garde Nationale suddenly sprang to attention. ‘I realised they had mistaken us for the Princess and Duke. That was the effect made by my splendid Fath’
Physical description
Full length evening dress in cream slipper silk satin. It has a close fitting bodice to the waist, with a high round neck with amber and dark grey coloured sequins and glass bead embroidery round the neck and down the centre of the bodice, and with smaller designs flanking the centre panel. It has a centre front zipper opening with a hook at the neck. Full skirt pleated into the bodice with a train at the rear looped up to form a triple fan shaped bustle, starting just below the back waistline. The sleeves are long and tight-fitting, with three darts at the elbow, and with a zipper fastening at the wrist. The skirt and back 'bustle' are lined with cream net. The bodice has circular bust pads and has shoulder pads. Worn with a full-length hoop petticoat in silk with wire hoops.
Place of Origin
Paris, France (made)
Date
1948 (made)
Artist/maker
Jacques Fath, born 1912 - died 1954 (designer)
Rébé (embroiderer)
Materials and Techniques
Embroidered slipper silk satin with sequins and beads, lined with net, and wire
Marks and inscriptions
'Jacques Fath Paris'
Dimensions
Circumference: 66 cm waist, Diameter: 100 cm skirt hem, Weight: 2.32 kg
Object history note
The donor, Lady Alexandra, recounts a story about the dress in her unpublished memoirs - when she wore it to a state occasion in honour of Princess Elizabeth's visit to Paris (May 1948), her arrival at the opera house prompted the guards on the staircase to present arms, believing her to be the princess.
This dress may be the original mannequin dress (as seen in promotional photographs, such as those on the stairs of the Louvre in V. Guillaume's book), as Lady Alexandra was the same size as Fath's mannequins and often given model dresses to wear, which she would then buy at a reduced price at the end of the season. The Fath house mannequin was Louise.
Descriptive line
Full length evening dress in silk satin and petticoat, designed by Jacques Fath, embroidered by Rébé, Paris, 1948
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Valerie Guillaume, Jacques Fath (Editions Paris-Musees/Societe nouvelle Adam Biro, 1993), p.128.
Photograph of 3 models in a selection of Spring 1948 Fath ball-gowns. On the left is "Louise in a spectacular evening dress, of which the Victoria and Albert Museum have an example, given by Lady Dacre… Lady Dacre recounts an amusing anecdote about the dress: When she wore it to a state occasion in honour of Princess Elizabeth's visit to Paris, Lady Dacre's arrival in such a grand dress prompted the guards to present arms, believing her to be the princess."
Photgraph by Richard Dormer (mmc Palais Galiera).
Beaton Registered Papers. Lady Alexandra to Cecil Beaton, 10 October 1971
Dear Cecil,
I have been meaning to tell you about a rather beautiful Jacques Fath evening dress that I would be willing to give to your exhibition. I though it was too late but then I read in today's papers that you are still getting additions. The dress is white satin with agate coloured embroidery. I first wore it for the visit to Paris of Princess Elizabeth (as she then was) in 1948 or 49 (I forget which) - It does not sound as if you have any models by Jacques Fath. I have several of that date, both day and evening. This particular dress is here in Scotland.
Trevor-Roper, Lady Alexandra, 'Memoirs' (Unpublished; Family Collection).
p. 331… The great excitement was the visit of HRH Princess Elizabeth and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh to Paris. They arrived at the Embassy on May 14 [1948] and stayed until the 18th. I was lent some lovely dresses by Fath to supplement the ones I already had. I seemed always to be changing my dress in a great hurry. There was a dinner at the Embassy on the second night and according to a newspaper cutting I "was in an outstanding full-skirted dress of orchid coloured tulle with a strapless top"… p.332… The most vivid memory I have is the dinner party at the Embassy on May 17th, the last night. I had a wonderful Jacques Fath dress made of white satin with layers of satin at the back like a bustle and amber-coloured embroidery on the front of the bodice. When we and various members of the Embassy were waiting before dinner, Hilda Salisbury-Jones [the wife of the Army Attaché] touched the back of my dress and there was a rustle. She put her hand under one of the loops of satin and pulled out a lot of tissue paper. That was a signal for everyone to pull out more and more tissue paper. In the middle the Royal couple came in and were highly amused. It broke the ice of the evening. After dinner we were all going to the Théâtre National de L'Opera for a special gala in honour of the Royal guests. When Johnny and I arrived at the opera house and started to climb the marble staircase which was lined by the Garde Nationale when they suddenly sprang to attention and I realised they had mistaken us for the Princess and the Duke. I hurried up the stairs as fast as my dress would allow, feeling very self-conscious. That was the effect made by my splendid Fath dress which is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum as I have given it to the costume department together with my other Fath and pre-war Schiaparelli dresses.
Lynn, E., 'Lady Alexandra' in Wilcox, C., ed., The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-57 (V&A Publications, 2007), p.172 and pl. 7.18 (image of Lady Alexandra wearing the dress).
Exhibition History
The Golden Age of Couture. Paris and London 1947 - 1957 (Victoria and Albert Museum 22/09/2007-06/01/2008)
Labels and date
Evening dress (robe de gala)
Jacques Fath (1912-54)
Paris
1948 spring/summer
Lady Alexandra wore this dress at the official visit of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip to Paris in May 1948. She recalled that when she arrived at the Théâtre de l'Opéra with her husband, the Garde Nationale suddenly sprang to attention. 'I realised they had mistaken us for the Princess and Duke. That was the effect made by my splendid Fath'.
Silk satin, embroidered by Rébé with sequins and beads
Given by Lady Alexandra Dacre
V&A: T.184&A-1974 [22/09/2007]
Associated names
Cecil Beaton
Materials
Silk; Sequins; Net; Glass beads
Techniques
Weaving; Embroidery; Pleating
Categories
Royalty; Embroidery; Fashion; Evening wear; Formal wear; Women's clothes
Production Type
Haute couture
Collection code
T&F
