Evening Dress
1938 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This dress was designed by the American Couturier Mainbocher. Made of a fine silk tulle in pale green, pink and emerald green stripes, the dress is decorated with circled and scattered sequins in co-ordinating colours. The metal zip at the side of the dress has been coloured green and pink to match the stripes.
The bodice is close fitting with cap sleeves and emphasized shoulders- unable to use shoulder padding, as this would be visible through the tulle, the designer has instead used three pieces of boning, arranged in a fan shape to support each of the shoulders. The dress falls from a fitted waist into a very full, floor length skirt. It was worn over an emerald green satin petticoat.
The transparent nature of the tulle dress fabric required an opaque fabric for the underdress. The designer chose a deep emerald green silk to provide a foil for the bright stripes and sequins of the dress. The petticoat has narrow straps made from a flesh- coloured open weave tape in order to render them invisible beneath the dress.
Mainbocher established his couture house in Paris in 1929. Born Main Rousseau Bocher, he had remained in Paris following his army service in the First World War and had established himself initially as a fashion illustrator and editor. On setting up his own business Main Bocher ran his two names into one to create his label.
In 1937 he designed the wedding dress of the Duchess of Windsor on her marriage to the former King Edward VIII. The dress generated a frenzied interest and manufacturers across the globe churned out copies of the famous dress.
When war broke out in 1939 Mainbocher relocated to New York and continued in business until 1971.
The bodice is close fitting with cap sleeves and emphasized shoulders- unable to use shoulder padding, as this would be visible through the tulle, the designer has instead used three pieces of boning, arranged in a fan shape to support each of the shoulders. The dress falls from a fitted waist into a very full, floor length skirt. It was worn over an emerald green satin petticoat.
The transparent nature of the tulle dress fabric required an opaque fabric for the underdress. The designer chose a deep emerald green silk to provide a foil for the bright stripes and sequins of the dress. The petticoat has narrow straps made from a flesh- coloured open weave tape in order to render them invisible beneath the dress.
Mainbocher established his couture house in Paris in 1929. Born Main Rousseau Bocher, he had remained in Paris following his army service in the First World War and had established himself initially as a fashion illustrator and editor. On setting up his own business Main Bocher ran his two names into one to create his label.
In 1937 he designed the wedding dress of the Duchess of Windsor on her marriage to the former King Edward VIII. The dress generated a frenzied interest and manufacturers across the globe churned out copies of the famous dress.
When war broke out in 1939 Mainbocher relocated to New York and continued in business until 1971.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Silk tulle, sequin embroidery |
| Brief description | Evening dress and petticoat of embroidered silk tulle, designed by Mainboucher, Paris, 1938. |
| Physical description | Full length silk tulle evening dress with sequin embroidery and emerald green petticoat. |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Credit line | Given by Lady Glendoven |
| Summary | This dress was designed by the American Couturier Mainbocher. Made of a fine silk tulle in pale green, pink and emerald green stripes, the dress is decorated with circled and scattered sequins in co-ordinating colours. The metal zip at the side of the dress has been coloured green and pink to match the stripes. The bodice is close fitting with cap sleeves and emphasized shoulders- unable to use shoulder padding, as this would be visible through the tulle, the designer has instead used three pieces of boning, arranged in a fan shape to support each of the shoulders. The dress falls from a fitted waist into a very full, floor length skirt. It was worn over an emerald green satin petticoat. The transparent nature of the tulle dress fabric required an opaque fabric for the underdress. The designer chose a deep emerald green silk to provide a foil for the bright stripes and sequins of the dress. The petticoat has narrow straps made from a flesh- coloured open weave tape in order to render them invisible beneath the dress. Mainbocher established his couture house in Paris in 1929. Born Main Rousseau Bocher, he had remained in Paris following his army service in the First World War and had established himself initially as a fashion illustrator and editor. On setting up his own business Main Bocher ran his two names into one to create his label. In 1937 he designed the wedding dress of the Duchess of Windsor on her marriage to the former King Edward VIII. The dress generated a frenzied interest and manufacturers across the globe churned out copies of the famous dress. When war broke out in 1939 Mainbocher relocated to New York and continued in business until 1971. |
| Bibliographic reference | Fashion : An Anthology by Cecil Beaton. London : H.M.S.O., 1971 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.307&A-1974 |
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| Record created | September 4, 2007 |
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