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Mexico evening dress

Cocktail Dress
1953 (made)
Artist/Maker
Bianchini-Ferier (maker)
Atelier Germaine (maker)
Christian Dior
Dior, Christian (designer)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

This dance dress has a label 'PRINTEMPS-ETE Christian Dior MADE IN FRANCE' on the inside, which is stamped with the number '34377'. The dress was featured in French Vogue (March 1953) and L'Officiel (April 1953). In the summer of 1953, the Duchess of Windsor (née Mrs Wallis Simpson) chose a Dior dress made in the same fabric and printed with a dot and scallop pattern to wear at the Circus Ball in Paris (American Vogue, 15 August 1953).

Object details

Categories
ELISE
Fashion
Evening Wear
Womenswear
Object type
Cocktail dress
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Skirt
  • Bodice
Titles
  • Mexico evening dress (assigned by artist)
  • La ligne tulipe (named collection)
Materials and techniques
Printed silk organza, boned, net foundation, crêpe de Chine stiffened with net and organza, metal hooks and eyes
Organza
Crepe De Chine
Nylon Net
Brief description
Mexico dress consisting of a skirt and bodice, printed silk organza, Christian Dior, haute couture spring summer 1953, Tulipe line, Paris, France. Textlie by Bianchini-Ferier.
Physical description
Summer evening dance dress consisting of a skirt and bodice. Printed white silk organza.
Dimensions
  • Bust circumference: 84cm
  • Waist circumference: 625mm (Note: Bodice)
  • Hem circumference: 200cm
  • Length: 932mm (Note: skirt)
Approx. size 12
Production typeHaute couture
Gallery label
(02/02/2019-14/07/2019)
Mexico dress

Christian Dior (1905–57)
Haute couture, Spring/Summer 1953
Tulipe line
Silk (organza)

The couturier named several of his dresses Mexico. The printed design of the white Mexico dress evokes the scallop-edged lace of the resplandor headdress of Tehuana women. Latin America was an important market for Christian Dior. Licensing agreements with Mexican manufacturers and retailers made Dior fashions available in Mexico as early as 1950. In 1954, Dior sent some of his top house models to present his H line collection in Mexico City.

Victoria and Albert Museum - T.264-1981


Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams
(22/09/2007-06/01/2008)
'Mexico' dance dress (robe à danser)
Christian Dior (1905-57)
Paris
1953 spring/summer, Ligne Tulipe

In this dance dress the abstract pattern of the silk organza evokes movement.

Printed silk organza

V&A: T.264&A-1981
Subject depicted
Scallop
Summary
This dance dress has a label 'PRINTEMPS-ETE Christian Dior MADE IN FRANCE' on the inside, which is stamped with the number '34377'. The dress was featured in French Vogue (March 1953) and L'Officiel (April 1953). In the summer of 1953, the Duchess of Windsor (née Mrs Wallis Simpson) chose a Dior dress made in the same fabric and printed with a dot and scallop pattern to wear at the Circus Ball in Paris (American Vogue, 15 August 1953).
Associated object
Bibliographic references
  • Vogue (French), March 1953, p.53.
  • Brigid Keenan, Dior in Vogue (Octopus Books, 1981)
  • Vogue,/i> (American), August 15, 1953
  • Rothstein, N. ed., '400 Year of Fashion' (London: Victoria & Albert Museum, 1984), pp. 91 and 166.
  • Original photo by H. Clarke
  • L'Officiel April 1953, pp.33.
  • Oriole Cullen and Connie Karol Burks Christian Dior, (V&A: London, 2019)
Other numbers
  • 34377 - Dior Label number
  • 58876 - Dior Label number
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.264&A-1981

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Record createdApril 3, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O34656/mexico-evening-dress-cocktail-dress-dior-christian/
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