Dress
1947 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Hardy Amies designed this cotton day dress at the end of the Second World War. The dress has magyar sleeves (in which the armhole and upper arm are cut very wide, narrowing to the elbow and wrist), a tightly fitted bodice and a dropped waist. The circular skirt is embellished with a fashionable bustle bow. The cotton fabric was made in Manchester for export to the West African market. The British government actively promoted the cotton industry during the War, forming the influential Cotton Board in 1940. The Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, whose designers included Amies, worked closely with the Board to create stylish fashions in British cottons. This dress, with its extravagantly full skirt, shows the influence of the ‘New Look’, the luxurious, post-War style created French couturier Christian Dior which used yards of fabric to achieve a curvaceous, full-skirted silhouette.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Printed cotton |
| Brief description | Day dress of printed cotton, made by Edwin Hardy Amies, Great Britain, 1947 |
| Physical description | Cotton day dress with magyar sleeves (in which the armhole and upper arm are cut very wide, narrowing to the elbow and wrist), a tightly fitted bodice and a dropped waist. The circular skirt is embellished with a fashionable bustle bow. Brown and white cotton with a bold circular print. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Worn and given by Mrs Enid Fennemore |
| Object history | The cotton fabric of this dress was made in Manchester for export to the West African market. It was worn by the donor. |
| Historical context | The government actively promoted the cotton industry during World War II, forming the influential Cotton Board in 1940. The Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, whose 'top ten' designers included Hardy Amies, worked closely with the Board to create stylish fashions in British cottons to re-build the British textile industry following the war. |
| Summary | Hardy Amies designed this cotton day dress at the end of the Second World War. The dress has magyar sleeves (in which the armhole and upper arm are cut very wide, narrowing to the elbow and wrist), a tightly fitted bodice and a dropped waist. The circular skirt is embellished with a fashionable bustle bow. The cotton fabric was made in Manchester for export to the West African market. The British government actively promoted the cotton industry during the War, forming the influential Cotton Board in 1940. The Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, whose designers included Amies, worked closely with the Board to create stylish fashions in British cottons. This dress, with its extravagantly full skirt, shows the influence of the ‘New Look’, the luxurious, post-War style created French couturier Christian Dior which used yards of fabric to achieve a curvaceous, full-skirted silhouette. |
| Bibliographic reference | De La Haye, Amy, ed. The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997. London: V&A Publications, 1997.
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.236-1984 |
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| Record created | August 21, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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