Erik Mortensen for Pierre Balmain. Cocktail jumpsuit in black velvet with sequin drapery. Autumn-Winter 1987-88.

Black velvet cocktail jumpsuit with very short legs, long tight sleeves, back zipper and zippers on lower sleeves. The garment is draped with silk chiffon solidly paved with square sequins, which wraps around the garment and extends to form a hood that sits on the head and is secured with a comb.

Given by Susan L. Casagrande

This is an original catwalk model which was created specifically for the Balmain haute couture presentation for Autumn-Winter 1987-88. The designer, Erik Mortensen, received his second Golden Thimble (De d'Or) award from his fellow couturiers for this collection - an award which he received three times in all.

The De d'Or award was presented between 1976 and 1990 by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to the designer who they felt had produced the most outstanding haute couture collection that season. It was a great honour for a designer to receive the award, as it indicated the high respect, regard and admiration in which the rest of their peers held them and their work.

This dress is, in addition to being from a highly regarded collection, an exceptionally good example of the Danish-born Erik Mortensen's design work. Mortensen, who had worked for Pierre Balmain as his design assistant since 1950, and succeeded him as head designer of Balmain in 1981, was particularly known as an accomplished designer of little black dresses and for incorporating Middle-Eastern influences into his work, such as veils, draped bubble hems and head draperies. The labels inside this dress indicate that it was made specifically for a model called Eliane, who wore the dress on the catwalk along with another model wearing a similar design.

The above information was assembled through the assistance of Kirsten Toftegaard, Curator of the Designmuseum, Denmark; and of Delphine Berthier, Press Officer for the House of Balmain. We are grateful to them for their time and assistance with verifying information pertaining to this piece.

- Daniel Milford-Cottam,
Cataloguer of 20th and 21st Century Fashion,
19/09/2016

T.148-2016