Soirée à Versailles evening dress, Christian Dior by Marc Bohan, haute couture autumn/winter 1962, silk, metal thread, sequins and crystal beads, Paris, France

Evening dress of silver net over silk organza and embroidered with silver sequins and brilliants. High waisted with shoulder straps, and zip fastening at the side back. Slit at the front to below the knee. Lined with silk and chiffon, with the bodice lining in cotton net, and boned, and with hook fastening.

Given by Mrs Loel Guinness

Gloria Guinness (née Gloria Rubio y Alatorre, 1912-1980) was an elegant socialite and writer of the mid 20th century. Her third husband, whom she married in 1951, was Group Capt. Thomas Loel Guinness, a Member of Parliament (died 1989) and an heir to the Guinness beer fortune.

She was voted second 'Best Dressed Woman' in the world by Time magazine in 1962, behind Jackie Kennedy in first place (see Time magazine January 26^th 1962). She owned seven homes, with a full wardrobe in each so that she would never have to pack or wait at customs. She spread her patronage widely, and amongst donations to the V&A of pieces by Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy etc., are pieces by lesser known couturiers such as Chaumont and Lafaurie.

Reason For Production: Commission

Marc Bohan was the House of Dior’s longest-serving creative director. He worked at several Parisian couture houses including Piguet, Molyneux and Patou before joining Dior in 1958. His initial role was to design the London collections. In 1961, he showed his first collection as Christian Dior's creative director in Paris, receiving jubilant reviews from the fashion press. Bohan continued as creative director, steering the house through the cultural shifts of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, until departing in 1989.

This evening dress, hand-embroidered in sequins and crystals, was ordered from Dior by Gloria Guinness.

T.132-1974