New Look
Coat
1947-1948 (designed)
1947-1948 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Coat of dark blue-purple silk. With sloping shoulders and a Magyar sleeve. Double-breasted, fastening with self-covered buttons. The narrow cinched waist flares into a full skirt with typical 'New Look' emphasis placed on the hips with both padding, and exaggerated pockets.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | New Look (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Silk |
| Brief description | 'New Look' coat of silk, designed by Christian Dior, Paris, 1947-1948 |
| Physical description | Coat of dark blue-purple silk. With sloping shoulders and a Magyar sleeve. Double-breasted, fastening with self-covered buttons. The narrow cinched waist flares into a full skirt with typical 'New Look' emphasis placed on the hips with both padding, and exaggerated pockets. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Marks and inscriptions | '11919' (Printed on the label) |
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | Given by Mrs J. Wates |
| Historical context | THE NEW LOOK panel text from The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957 Dior launched his new house on 12 February 1947 and became an overnight sensation. His voluptuous collection was the antithesis of lean, boxy wartime fashions. Instead, feminine designs featured rounded shoulders, a womanly bust and a hand-span waist above enormous skirts. It was christened on the spot by Carmel Snow, editor of American Harper's Bazaar, as the 'New Look'. The amount of fabric required to create a New Look garment - typically 15 metres in a woollen day dress, 25 metres in a short taffeta evening gown - caused outrage, for rationing was still in place. The collection was shown in secret to Princess Margaret at the French Embassy in London. But despite attempts by the Board of Trade to suppress it, the New Look was unstoppable. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.197-1997 |
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| Record created | October 12, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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