Evening Dress
1953 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Evening dress in eau-de-nil silk satin and velvet and the silk skirt lined is in cotton net.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Silk satin with velvet, silk lined with cotton net, and boned |
| Physical description | Evening dress in eau-de-nil silk satin and velvet and the silk skirt lined is in cotton net. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Haute couture |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Jacques Fath / Paris' [with emblem above] (Label, black on white) |
| Gallery label | LADY ALEXANDRA: A COUTURE CLIENT [case panel]
Lady Alexandra Howard-Johnston (later Lady Dacre) was the wife of the Naval Attaché to Paris. She required an extensive wardrobe for the many formal dinners and state functions that she had to attend.
A couture client would attend all the fashion collections, seated in the front row if she were especially important. After the show, she would place her orders with her personal vendeuse or saleswoman. A calico toile would be created, then the final garment, a process involving numerous time-consuming fittings.
Lady Alexandra dressed exclusively at Jacques Fath. The designer lent her evening and day dresses each season, aware of the publicity that this would give his house. 'If there was a Fath 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.'
[object label]
Wardrobe
Jacques Fath (1912–54)
Paris
This wardrobe contains a further selection of Lady Alexandra’s hats and dresses.
1. Evening dress with train, satin with velvet trim, lined with cotton net
1953
Given by Lady Dacre
V&A: T.177-1974
2. Day dress, spotted silk twill, lined with silk and chiffon
1949
Given by Lady Dacre
V&A: T.176-1974(22/09/2007) |
| Credit line | Given by Lady Alexandra Trevor-Roper |
| Object history | This dress was originally worn with pink velvet rose, removed by Lady Trevor-Roper and attached to T.174-1974. A similar dress is owned by the Royal Ontario Museum. It was donated by Signy Eaton. |
| Production | Autumn / winter 1953-4 |
| Association | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.177&A-1974 |
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| Record created | January 28, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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