Dress
1950 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Lady Alexandra Howard-Johnston (later Lady Dacre) 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 Jacques Fath (1912-54). She was fortunate enough to share the physique of Fath’s models and was given some dresses originally shown at the collections. One such was this day-dress in shades of grey, which she wore to the unveiling of a statue in honour of her father, Field Marshal Earl Haig, in Montreuil-sur-Mer in 1950. The dress was only altered by Fath in order to fit Lady Alexandra during one of her pregnancies. The scarf, she wrote, was 'very suitable for my condition'.
Lady Alexandra dressed exclusively at Jacques Fath (1912-54). She was fortunate enough to share the physique of Fath’s models and was given some dresses originally shown at the collections. One such was this day-dress in shades of grey, which she wore to the unveiling of a statue in honour of her father, Field Marshal Earl Haig, in Montreuil-sur-Mer in 1950. The dress was only altered by Fath in order to fit Lady Alexandra during one of her pregnancies. The scarf, she wrote, was 'very suitable for my condition'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gabardine |
| Brief description | Day dress in light-weight gaberdine, designed by Jacques Fath, Paris, 1950 |
| Physical description | Semi-fitted day dress in three shades of grey light-weight gaberdine. Top is of an intricate construction with long sleeves, with underarm gusset, terminating in pointed dark grey cuffs. High roll neck collar crosses at the front and the left side becomes a long and wide falling scarf which is interfaced. The dark grey skirt has a slanted waist, with a band of medium grey, as echoed in the scarf. Pocket in the right front with button. Top of the dress has an understrap attached to the left shoulder, fastening to collar right, and down the left side of dress with hooks, followed by a zip fastening. Two shoulder pads. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Haute couture |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Jacques Fath / Paris' (Label, machine woven, blue on white) |
| Gallery label | Dress and hat
Jacques Fath (1912-54)
Paris
1950
Lady Alexandra shared the physique of Fath's mannequins and was given some of the model dresses. She wore this ensemble to the unveiling of a statue of her father, the First World War commander Field-Marshal Earl Haig. Fath then altered the dress for one of Lady Alexandra's pregnancies. The scarf, she said, was 'very suitable for my condition'.
Dress: gabardine
Hat: felt
Given by Lady Dacre
V&A: T.182, 186-1974(22/09/2007) |
| Credit line | Given by Lady Alexandra Trevor-Roper |
| Object history | Lady Dacre wore this dress to the unveiling of her father's (Field Marshal Earl Haig) statue in Montreuil-sur-Mer, France. She was heavily pregnant at the time. This dress was made for Lady Alexandra in 1950, and given to the museum as part of the Beaton Collection in 1971. In the Beaton Registered Files (part F/5), Lady Alexandra writes (Nov 13 1971) that Fath altered the dress during her pregnancy and then again after the birth of her son. It is possible that this dress was an an original 'model' dress, as Lady Alexandra was exactly the same size as some of Fath's house models, she would sometimes purchase these original versions to wear, and she writes: "the dresses were not altered in any way except that they could be let out". |
| Production | Attribution note: Original mannequin dress |
| Association | |
| Summary | Lady Alexandra Howard-Johnston (later Lady Dacre) 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 Jacques Fath (1912-54). She was fortunate enough to share the physique of Fath’s models and was given some dresses originally shown at the collections. One such was this day-dress in shades of grey, which she wore to the unveiling of a statue in honour of her father, Field Marshal Earl Haig, in Montreuil-sur-Mer in 1950. The dress was only altered by Fath in order to fit Lady Alexandra during one of her pregnancies. The scarf, she wrote, was 'very suitable for my condition'. |
| Associated object | T.186-1974 (Ensemble) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.182-1974 |
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| Record created | January 11, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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