Since the mid-19th century, couturiers had dressed major theatrical stars. Victor Stiebel had designed productions while at university, before working in dress design at the House of Reville; in 1932 he opened his own fashion house and was soon in demand to provide contemporary costumes for leading actresses. Mary Ellis, for whom this costume was designed, was a leading actress and singer, and to dress her in a prestigious musical written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II and produced by C B Cochran would have been an excellent advertisement for the young couturier. He designed all her dresses in the production and those for her co-star, Eve Lister, and all the modern clothes in the Zoo and rehearsal scenes; the remainder of the costumes came coming from the Cochran wardrobe and the costume firm of Morris Angel & Son.

This dress was the height of chic, with its huge pleated shoulders, bold bow, nipped in jacket and long skirt. The gauntlet gloves helped balance the wide shoulders, while the large bow drew attention to the face. Although the design is coloured pale orange, the notes indicate that it should be made in chartreuse green satin, contrasting with the skirt's dull fabric and the brown fur of the gauntlet gloves.

Such designs were meant to flatter the wearer rather than the wearer be subservient to the designer and the leading lady would have had approval and maybe even a choice in the couturier.