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Evening mini dress - Glitterbug

Glitterbug

  • Object:

    Evening mini dress

  • Place of origin:

    London, England (made)

  • Date:

    1972 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Linhart, Georgina, born 1944 (designer)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Machine-embroidered chiffon with sequins, partly lined with synthetic fabric

  • Credit Line:

    Given by the designer

  • Museum number:

    T.156-1997

  • Gallery location:

    In store

  • Image in copyright

This tiny, halter-necked micro-mini dress was aimed at the teenage market. The design, which is pared down to the barest essentials, would have permitted energetic dancing. The sheer brown chiffon fabric is entirely covered with clear iridescent sequins which would have sparkled on the dance floor. Apart from a nude lining to the halter-neck, the dress is semi-transparent. The fashion journalist, Eve Pollard, selected this dress to be photographed for the front cover of the Daily Mirror's first colour supplement in 1972.

Like many of her fashion designer contemporaries in the 1960s, Georgina Linhart was a graduate from St Martin's College of Art and Design. Her fashion label, launched in 1964, ran for ten years before closing down in 1974. Afterwards, she worked as a freelance designer for Quorum, working alongside Ossie Clark and Betty Jackson. She also worked for Jaeger, Wallis and Designer's Guild, and was Head of Design at Chelsea Girl.

Physical description

Short micro mini-dress of machine-embroidered chiffon. Halterneck with no fastening at the back of the neck (wearer just puts their head through halterneck). Slightly flared A-line shape to the dress. The main part of dress zips in the back with a metal zipper. The material is a sheer chiffon, machine embroidered with an all-over diamond design in clear, iridescent round sequins. The mesh is created by exposing the dark plummy-brown base fabric in between the groups of four sequins, which also creates a shimmering lizardine or snakeskin effect. The halterneck and bust area of the dress are lined with a nude coloured synthetic fabric for reinforcement, and the main body of the dress is unlined. A royal purple label is attached to the lining in the back.

Place of Origin

London, England (made)

Date

1972 (made)

Artist/maker

Linhart, Georgina, born 1944 (designer)

Materials and Techniques

Machine-embroidered chiffon with sequins, partly lined with synthetic fabric

Marks and inscriptions

'GEORGINA LINHART / london england'

Descriptive line

Sequined chiffon halternecked micro-mini dress 'Glitterbug', designed by Georgina Linhart, London, 1972

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Fogg, Marnie. Boutique: A '60s Cultural Phenomeon. London, 2003. pp.34.
Photograph by Mike Berkofsky

Exhibition History

The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997 (Victoria and Albert Museum 06/03/1997-27/07/1997)

Labels and date

Measuring a mere 55cm along the centre-front seam, this halter- neck mini-dress was aimed at the teenage market. The iridescent sequins were designed to sparkle under the light of the disco. The dress was featured on the front cover of the Daily Mirror's first coloured supplement. [1997]

Materials

Sequins; Chiffon; Synthetic fabric

Techniques

Embroidered

Categories

Embroidery; Fashion; Evening wear; Women's clothes

Collection code

T&D

Qr_O83595
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