Evening Dress thumbnail 1
Evening Dress thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Evening Dress

1876-1878 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This ensemble characterises fashionable evening wear for women in the late 1870s. The elbow-length sleeves and square neckline show that it was probably a dinner dress rather than ball gown. Tiers of machine-made lace adorn the skirt and bodice; an overskirt of satin swathes the front of the dress. The bodice extends into a point below the waistline in front and back. This was a new style, known as a ‘cuirasse’ bodice, which appeared in fashion magazines about 1875 and remained fashionable through the 1880s.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Skirt
  • Bodice
Materials and techniques
Silk satin, trimmed with silk ribbon and machine-made lace, lined with cotton, reinforced with whalebone, machine and hand sewn
Credit line
Given by Mrs Thérèse Horner
Summary
This ensemble characterises fashionable evening wear for women in the late 1870s. The elbow-length sleeves and square neckline show that it was probably a dinner dress rather than ball gown. Tiers of machine-made lace adorn the skirt and bodice; an overskirt of satin swathes the front of the dress. The bodice extends into a point below the waistline in front and back. This was a new style, known as a ‘cuirasse’ bodice, which appeared in fashion magazines about 1875 and remained fashionable through the 1880s.
Collection
Accession number
T.130&A-1958

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Record createdFebruary 19, 2003
Record URL
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