Evening Dress
1959 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The House of Heim was founded in 1898 to serve an aristocratic clientele. Jacques Heim (1899-1967) began to extend his parents' establishment, which specialized in furs, into a couture house in 1920. He launched 'Heim Jeunes Filles' in 1936 to follow younger tastes in fashion. All Heim's designs had a classical elegance that made them suitable for grand, formal occasions. His business closed in 1969.
Long, sleeveless ball gown made of fuschia silk organza. The full skirt shows intricate pleats. It is shorter at the front than at the back, combining the formal grandeur of the traditional long ball gowns and the fashion for short eveningwear typical of the late 1950s.
This dress forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection. With great energy and determination Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) contacted designers and the well-dressed elite of Europe and America to create this lasting monument to the art of dress. The collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue that detailed its enormous range.
Long, sleeveless ball gown made of fuschia silk organza. The full skirt shows intricate pleats. It is shorter at the front than at the back, combining the formal grandeur of the traditional long ball gowns and the fashion for short eveningwear typical of the late 1950s.
This dress forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection. With great energy and determination Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) contacted designers and the well-dressed elite of Europe and America to 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 | |
| Materials and techniques | Silk organza, with an underdress of silk taffeta and organza, rows of stiffened net and organza frills attached to the back of the underdress, mounted on a boned, cotton net foundation, metal zip and press studs, machine-stitched and hand-finished |
| Brief description | Evening dress of silk organza, designed by JAcques Heim for Jeunes Filles, Paris, 1959. |
| Physical description | Evening dress of a double layer of fuchsia silk organza. It is sleeveless, with a scoop neckline. The front panel is cut in the 'Princess' manner, but the sides and back have a waistline seam. The full skirt is calf-length at the front, dipping to the ground at the back and is joined to the waist by large 'petal pleats'. The dress is attached at points to the strapless underdress of bright pink silk taffeta overlain by bright silk organza. The lines are of 'Princess' at the front, but attatched in horizontal rows to the back, are six stiffened frills of net and silk organza. The dipping back hem is stiffened with nylon net re-inforced with horizontal strips of nylon braid stiffener. The two dresses are attached to a cotton net foundation support, which is boned and has a brassiere of top stitched silk. A petticoat of eleven layers of bright pink net is attatched to the corset. |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Rory McEwen |
| Object history | This elegant evening dress was worn by Mrs Rory McEwen and forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection.With great energy and determination the late Sir Cecil Beaton contacted the well-dressed elite of Europe and America to bring this lasting monument to the art of dress. The collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue which detailed its enormous range (catalogue 156. Page 32). |
| Summary | The House of Heim was founded in 1898 to serve an aristocratic clientele. Jacques Heim (1899-1967) began to extend his parents' establishment, which specialized in furs, into a couture house in 1920. He launched 'Heim Jeunes Filles' in 1936 to follow younger tastes in fashion. All Heim's designs had a classical elegance that made them suitable for grand, formal occasions. His business closed in 1969. Long, sleeveless ball gown made of fuschia silk organza. The full skirt shows intricate pleats. It is shorter at the front than at the back, combining the formal grandeur of the traditional long ball gowns and the fashion for short eveningwear typical of the late 1950s. This dress forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection. With great energy and determination Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) contacted designers and the well-dressed elite of Europe and America to 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
156 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.266-1974 |
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| Record created | February 26, 2003 |
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