This elegant gown was commissioned by Vivian Williams for her marriage to Mr. Albany Ward on 3 August 1957. It was designed by the Paris couture house of Jacques Fath and licensed to Vogue Patterns to produce as a sewing-pattern. Vivian had originally planned to have a gown custom-made by the Harrods Bridal Room, but when she saw the Fath design while looking through a Vogue Pattern Book, she noticed how closely it resembled her original choice. She subsequently purchased the pattern and fabrics from the Dickins & Jones department store in London, and took them to a professional local dressmaker to be made up. This enabled her to marry in a gown designed by a famous couture house at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a original Paris couture model, or having a dress custom-made by Harrods.

Vogue sewing patterns began in America in 1899 as a weekly feature of Vogue magazine and could be purchased by mail order. When Condé Nast bought Vogue in 1909 they began to offer a wider range of pattern styles and sizes. The Vogue Pattern Company was formed in 1914, and by 1916, its patterns could be bought in department stores. In 1933 the company opened its first London branch. Vogue became the first pattern company authorised to duplicate French couture designs, with their 'Vogue Paris Original' pattern line in 1949. Licensing designs to large-scale pattern companies provided couturiers with a way to regain control and retain income from their work that would otherwise be lost to illegal copyists. It also helped make Paris couture more accessible to a wider audience.