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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Fashion, Room 40

Ensemble

ca. 1935 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Mainbocher ( 1890-1976) was a native of Chicago, where he studied art at the University of Chicago and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He served in the Army in the World War I and stayed on in Paris after the war, working as a fashion illustrator for Harper's Bazaar, as Paris fashion editor for Vogue (1922-1929), and eventually became the editor-in-chief of the French edition of Vogue in early 1927. Main Bocher's decision to become a couturier grew out of his years as editor at Vogue; he realized that his critical eye and his feeling for fashion might also serve him as a designer. In November 1929 he established his own fashion house, ‘Mainbocher Couture’ at 12 Avenue George V in Paris.
He designed expensive, elegant haute couture dresses and gowns for an exclusive clientele. He designed much of Wallis Simpson's wardrobe, naming a colour, ‘Wallis Blue’, for her. In 1937, he also designed the wedding dress and trousseau of her marriage to the former Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor). Described as one the most photographed and most copied dresses of modern times, the bridal dress is today part of the Metropolitan Museum collection.

Mainbocher created impeccably elegant garments. He held decoration to a minimum, favouring refined feminine forms (petal-shaped collar, shirring, small embroideries) If his design seems conservative, as compared to the modern experiments of others in the 1930s, it was because he sought an elegant gentility best seen in this beautifully cut afternoon ensemble featuring an overall genteel floral pattern on fashionable navy.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Dress
  • Jacket
  • Belt
Materials and techniques
Printed silk crêpe de Chine
Brief description
Dress, jacket and belt of printed silk, designed by Mainbocher, Paris, ca. 1935
Physical description
Afternoon dress, jacket and belt of silk. Full length sleeveless dress of navy and white floral printed silk, the armholes and skirt seams accented with fluttering appliques of the same fabric. The belt is covered to match. With an unlined and long sleeved short jacket with appliques along the edges of the front facings.
Production typeHaute couture
Gallery label
AFTERNOON ENSEMBLE DRESS AND JACKET French, Mainbocher, about 1935. Printed crepe de Chine. The fabric is cut on the cross so that it softly moulds to the body. The intricate piecing and diagonal seaming, necessary to achieve this typical 1930s long, lean silhouette, demanded a small-scale pattern without obvious direction or repeat. The armholes of the sleeveless dress are decorated with 'petals' of fabric echoing those on the skirt and front edges of the matching jacket. The all-over floral design in chic navy and white (perfect for a visit to Ascot or a summer garden party) works particularly well. T.239 & A-1984(1988)
Object history
This ensemble could have been worn as an evening dress, but during the mid-1930s, full-length and ankle length dresses were fashionable for elegant afternoon and day wear.
Summary
Mainbocher ( 1890-1976) was a native of Chicago, where he studied art at the University of Chicago and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He served in the Army in the World War I and stayed on in Paris after the war, working as a fashion illustrator for Harper's Bazaar, as Paris fashion editor for Vogue (1922-1929), and eventually became the editor-in-chief of the French edition of Vogue in early 1927. Main Bocher's decision to become a couturier grew out of his years as editor at Vogue; he realized that his critical eye and his feeling for fashion might also serve him as a designer. In November 1929 he established his own fashion house, ‘Mainbocher Couture’ at 12 Avenue George V in Paris.
He designed expensive, elegant haute couture dresses and gowns for an exclusive clientele. He designed much of Wallis Simpson's wardrobe, naming a colour, ‘Wallis Blue’, for her. In 1937, he also designed the wedding dress and trousseau of her marriage to the former Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor). Described as one the most photographed and most copied dresses of modern times, the bridal dress is today part of the Metropolitan Museum collection.

Mainbocher created impeccably elegant garments. He held decoration to a minimum, favouring refined feminine forms (petal-shaped collar, shirring, small embroideries) If his design seems conservative, as compared to the modern experiments of others in the 1930s, it was because he sought an elegant gentility best seen in this beautifully cut afternoon ensemble featuring an overall genteel floral pattern on fashionable navy.
Collection
Accession number
T.239 to B-1984

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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