Evening Dress
1971 (made), 1955 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This evening dress is a replica of a 1955 design and was made especially for the Museum in 1971. Madame Grès trained as a sculptor and then turned to haute couture, becoming 'Alix', with premises in the Faubourg St Honoré in Paris. She re-opened at 1 rue de La Paix in 1941 as 'Grès'. A house press release described Madame Grès' personal manner of handling materials 'almost without seams', and how she 'induced manufacturers to produce jersey in large widths and took part in their researches to apply these techniques'.
This dress forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection, brought together by the society photographer Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980). With great energy and determination, Beaton contacted the well-dressed elite of Europe and North America to help create this lasting monument to the art of dress. The Collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue that detailed its enormous range.
This dress forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection, brought together by the society photographer Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980). With great energy and determination, Beaton contacted the well-dressed elite of Europe and North America to help create this lasting monument to the art of dress. The Collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue that detailed its enormous range.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Pleated jersey, silk crepeline, boned, wired brassiere, silk crêpe, grosgrain, machine and hand stitched |
| Brief description | Evening dress and belt of fine jersey, designed by Madame Grès, Paris, 1971. |
| Physical description | Evening dress and belt of white jersey. |
| Dimensions | approximate footprint (mm): W700 x D600 x H1600 |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Credit line | Given by the designer |
| Object history | Given by the designer, this dress was made in 1971 as an exact copy of a 1955 garment (especially for the Beaton exhibition). |
| Production | Made from the original design for the Beaton exhibition Attribution note: Made especially for the Beaton exhibition Reason For Production: Exhibition |
| Association | |
| Summary | This evening dress is a replica of a 1955 design and was made especially for the Museum in 1971. Madame Grès trained as a sculptor and then turned to haute couture, becoming 'Alix', with premises in the Faubourg St Honoré in Paris. She re-opened at 1 rue de La Paix in 1941 as 'Grès'. A house press release described Madame Grès' personal manner of handling materials 'almost without seams', and how she 'induced manufacturers to produce jersey in large widths and took part in their researches to apply these techniques'. This dress forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection, brought together by the society photographer Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980). With great energy and determination, Beaton contacted the well-dressed elite of Europe and North America to help create this lasting monument to the art of dress. The Collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue that detailed its enormous range. |
| Bibliographic reference | Fashion : An Anthology by Cecil Beaton. London : H.M.S.O., 1971
382 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.246&A-1974 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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