Evening Dress
1954 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This evening dress, designed by Pierre Balmain in 1956, has a pink satin bow that provides an elegant final touch to a glamorous evening dress. The bow is placed in the small of the back where satin sash and draped skirt meet in a series of asymmetrical, diagonal gathers. The pearl white satin fabric of the dress is shot through with silver metallic threads and woven with a pattern of small thistles and painstakingly hand painted in pastel shades, while the bodice is embellished with leaves appliquéd with minute stitches. The dress was worn by the Austrian film star Lilli Palmer in the 1956 film Teufel im Seide (Devil in Silk).
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Brocaded silk satin with metal thread, hand-painted, appliquéd, and trimmed with satin and ribbons, and cotton net and boned corset |
| Brief description | Evening sheath dress in brocaded silk satin with metal thread and hand-painted, designed by Pierre Balmain, Paris, 1954 |
| Physical description | Evening sheath dress in pearl white silk satin brocaded with thistles and silver shot threads. Hand-painted in pastel shades. Appliqué leaves on the bodice, and further trimmed with pink satin sash and ribbons. Strapless, and terminates with a bow at the back. With a white cotton net boned corset with suspenders. White grosgrain waistband with the black and white satin 'PIERRE BALMAIN PARIS' label. A straight cream satin slip is attached to the outside of the corset at the waist. |
| Dimensions | Small size 10 |
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Pierre Balmain Paris' (Label) |
| Credit line | Given by Miss Lilli Palmer |
| Object history | This dress was worn by Lilli Palmer and given by her sister Mrs. Hilde J. Ross. The dress was worn by Lilli Palmer in the 1956 German film 'Teufel in Seide' (Devil in Silk) for which she won 'Best Actress of the Year' award. A Lanvin dress also in the collection uses the identical silk fabric in a different colourway (with shades of rose pink on a cream ground). However the cut of the Lanvin indicates it was made several years later, in about 1960, suggesting that the fabric was re-issued and taken up by Lanvin without either house realising it had been used/was being reused. See T.219-1991. |
| Summary | This evening dress, designed by Pierre Balmain in 1956, has a pink satin bow that provides an elegant final touch to a glamorous evening dress. The bow is placed in the small of the back where satin sash and draped skirt meet in a series of asymmetrical, diagonal gathers. The pearl white satin fabric of the dress is shot through with silver metallic threads and woven with a pattern of small thistles and painstakingly hand painted in pastel shades, while the bodice is embellished with leaves appliquéd with minute stitches. The dress was worn by the Austrian film star Lilli Palmer in the 1956 film Teufel im Seide (Devil in Silk). |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.252-1981 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
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