Evening dress of printed cotton trimmed with leather 'Tana, Nimbus and Country', designed by Bill Gibb, London, and textiles designed by Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell and made by Liberty & Co. Ltd., 1972

Evening dress of printed cotton trimmed with leather. Waisted bodice with a low square neck. A peplum is gathered into the waist. The long full sleeves are gathered into bands at the elbows and wrists to form two puffs. The skirt is long and gathered. The centre bodice and elbows have applied machine embroidered floral motifs with attached dark blue and terra cotta leather streamers with striped plastic tubing.

The bodice, peplum and top sleeves are of Tana lawn printed with a Paisley pattern in soft browns, terra cotta, sand and green on navy. The lawn is edged with bands of country cotton printed with squares. The lower sleeves and skirt are of Nimbus Voile printed with an all over leafy lattice and small flower repeat in terra cotta, green and cream on navy. The skirt and sleeves are also trimmed with bands of Country Cotton border print.

Lined throughout in cream silk. Fastens at the centre back with a long cream zip.

This dress was worn by the singer Sandie Shaw. At the end of the 1960s clothes with geometric lines dependent on firm fabrics were abandoned in favour of flowing styles in softer materials. Designers often combined a variety of different printed patterns and tonal colours in one garment or in interchangeable fabrics. Here Bill Gibb assembled textiles designed by Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell for Liberty's to create a romantic dress. The fabrics are 'Tana' lawn, 'Nimbus' voile and 'Country' cotton. The printed designs work well together and are enhanced by the floral leather motifs and streamers.

T.94-1981