Day Dress
ca. 1912 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Heather Firbank wore this crisp summer day dress. She was daughter of the affluent Member of Parliament Sir Thomas Firbank. Her brother was the novelist Ronald Firbank. According to his biographer, Miriam J. Benkovitz, Heather favoured 'exquisite clothes of a heather colour to complement her name'. The dress has a simple whitework collar. Its fresh youthful style conjures up images of leisurely summer picnics and boating parties from the years before the First World War (1914-1918).
In 1921 Heather's expensive clothes, bought from leading fashion houses, were packed into trunks and put into storage. There they remained for the next 35 years. In 1960 the V&A acquired well over 100 items from her wardrobe. This collection forms an invaluable record of a stylish and wealthy woman's taste between about 1905 and 1920. Many items were shown in an exhibition at the V&A in 1960. It was called 'Lady of Fashion: Heather Firbank and what she wore between 1908 and 1921'.
In 1921 Heather's expensive clothes, bought from leading fashion houses, were packed into trunks and put into storage. There they remained for the next 35 years. In 1960 the V&A acquired well over 100 items from her wardrobe. This collection forms an invaluable record of a stylish and wealthy woman's taste between about 1905 and 1920. Many items were shown in an exhibition at the V&A in 1960. It was called 'Lady of Fashion: Heather Firbank and what she wore between 1908 and 1921'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Printed cotton, machine-embroidered lawn |
| Brief description | Summer day dress of printed cotton, designed by Mascotte, London, ca. 1912 |
| Physical description | Summer day dress of printed cotton. In crisp lilac and white cotton has a delicate whitework machine-embroidered lawn collar and bow trim. The dress has a high round neck, natural waist line and long sleeves set in one with the shoulders. The skirt is slightly flared with stitched pleats at the hips and down the centre back. Decorative buttons down the centre front. The dress fastens with hooks and eyes. Stitched inside the centre front bodice is a small ribbon bow lettered in gold. At the neck is a machine-embroidered turndown white lawn collar and a bobble trimmed bow. |
| Object history | Worn by Miss Heather Firbank |
| Summary | Heather Firbank wore this crisp summer day dress. She was daughter of the affluent Member of Parliament Sir Thomas Firbank. Her brother was the novelist Ronald Firbank. According to his biographer, Miriam J. Benkovitz, Heather favoured 'exquisite clothes of a heather colour to complement her name'. The dress has a simple whitework collar. Its fresh youthful style conjures up images of leisurely summer picnics and boating parties from the years before the First World War (1914-1918). In 1921 Heather's expensive clothes, bought from leading fashion houses, were packed into trunks and put into storage. There they remained for the next 35 years. In 1960 the V&A acquired well over 100 items from her wardrobe. This collection forms an invaluable record of a stylish and wealthy woman's taste between about 1905 and 1920. Many items were shown in an exhibition at the V&A in 1960. It was called 'Lady of Fashion: Heather Firbank and what she wore between 1908 and 1921'. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.24-1960 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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