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Evening Dress

1957 (made)
Artist/Maker
Pierre Balmain (designer)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

This evening dress has a low necked and adorned bodice which drops to the hip level at the sides and is tightly fitted to the body by curved seams and long darts. It is of tulle stretched over taffeta and mounted on a firmly boned foundation. Springing from the lowered waist is a frou-frou skirt of accordion-pleated triple flounces in frail tulle edged with shining satin ribbon. At the sides additional fullness is achived by tiers of enormous rosettes of pleated tulle interleaved with supporting ruches of nylon crin.
Pierre Balmain (1914-1982) opened his salon in 1945. Having studied architecture he worked on the structure of garments, defining the body with simple, modern lines. This cocktail dress, designed for the increasing elegant youth of the late 1950s is inspired by ballet and Spanish flamenco dress. It epitomises Balmain's harmonious balance between extravagance and elegance.

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Discover more about this object
read 'My Years and Seasons' by Pierre Balmain Legendary French couturier Pierre Balmain (1914 – 82) spent his early years working in wartime Paris alongside fellow up-and-coming designer Christian Dior. This extract from his 1964 autobiography describes the 'Birth of Balmain', his very first fashion show.

Object details

Categories
Evening Wear
Fashion
Womenswear
Object type
Evening dress
Materials and techniques
Tulle stretched over taffeta, mounted on boned foundation, frail tulle edged with satin ribbon, and lined with net stiffened with nylon and plastic mesh
Brief description
Tulle on tafetta evening dress, designed by Pierre Balmain, Paris, 1957.
Physical description
Short evening dress of tulle stretched over taffeta and mounted on a firmly boned foundation. It has a low necked and adorned bodice, which drops to the hip level at the sides and is tightly fitted to the body by curved seams and long darts. Springing from the lowered waist is a frou-frou skirt of accordion-pleated triple flounces in frail tulle edged with shining satin ribbon. At the sides additional fullness is achieved by tiers of enormous rosettes of pleated tulle interleaved with supporting ruches of nylon. The dress is lined with many layers of net, stiffened with nylon and plastic mesh.
Dimensions
  • Width: 50cm (Note: Maximum Width on Stockman)
  • Depth: 40cm (Note: Maximum Width on Stockman)
  • Height: 1650cm (Note: Maximum Width on Stockman)
UK size 12.
Gallery label
(22/09/2007-06/01/2008)
[Cocktail dress case]

Cocktail and Early Evening

Daywear was followed by formal afternoon dresses (robes après-midi habillées), cocktail dresses (robes de cocktail), semi-evening (robes demi-soir) and short evening dresses (robes du soir courtes). These distinctions became simpler as the decade progressed and social codes began to break down.

Cocktail dresses first appeared in the 1920s and gained a new popularity after the war. They were worn at early evening or ‘6 to 8’ gatherings, where guests usually stood and mingled. The gowns could include complex bustles and skirt details, which would be crushed if sat on.

In his book the Little Dictionary of Fashion (1954) Christian Dior described cocktail dresses as ‘elaborate and dressy afternoon frocks’, preferably in black taffeta, satin, chiffon and wool. These confections became the personification of the ‘little black dress’ and were often accessorised with gloves and small hats.

[object label]
Cocktail dress (robe de cocktail)
Pierre Balmain (1914-82)
Paris
1957

Dresses like this achieved their air of weightlessness by floating on a firmly boned foundation. Pleated tulle flounces and rosettes edged with ribbon spring from the lowered waist and preclude sitting down.

Silk taffeta and tulle

Given by Lady Elizabeth von Hofmannsthal
V&A: T.51-1974
(1983-84)
EVENING DRESS, silk net, taffeta and ribbon.
French, Paris, Pierre Balmain; 1957

Inspired by ballerina's attire this luxurious dress has a sharply contrasting bodice and skirt. The severely plain low-necked bodice drops to the hips at the sides and is tightly fitted by curved seams and long darts. It is of net stretched over taffeta and mounted on a firmly boned net foundation. Attached is a bouffant frou-frou skirt of pleated triple flounces of net edged with ribbon. At the sides additional fullness is achieved by rows of enormous rosettes formed by pleated net frills interleaved with bands of stiffening. The frilled mass is held buoyant by two full and complicated petticoats of nylon, stiffening and further net frills. The strain of the heavy skirts is mainly taken by the waist stay, and zips and hooks and eyes fastenthe back.

Worn and given by Lady Elizabeth von Hoffmannsthal
The Cecil Beaton Collection
T.51-1974
Credit line
Given by Lady Elizabeth von Hofmannsthal
Object history
This dress has been displayed in the following V&A exhibitions:

1972: Fashion an Anthology by Cecil Beaton
1984: The Little Black Dress
1999: Black in Fashion
2007: The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957
Association
Beaton, Cecil
Summary
This evening dress has a low necked and adorned bodice which drops to the hip level at the sides and is tightly fitted to the body by curved seams and long darts. It is of tulle stretched over taffeta and mounted on a firmly boned foundation. Springing from the lowered waist is a frou-frou skirt of accordion-pleated triple flounces in frail tulle edged with shining satin ribbon. At the sides additional fullness is achived by tiers of enormous rosettes of pleated tulle interleaved with supporting ruches of nylon crin.
Pierre Balmain (1914-1982) opened his salon in 1945. Having studied architecture he worked on the structure of garments, defining the body with simple, modern lines. This cocktail dress, designed for the increasing elegant youth of the late 1950s is inspired by ballet and Spanish flamenco dress. It epitomises Balmain's harmonious balance between extravagance and elegance.
Bibliographic references
  • Vickers, H., 'Cecil Beaton' in Wilcox, C., ed., The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-57 (V&A Publications, London), p.167
  • Elizabeth von Hofmannsthal, photographed by Cecil Beaton for British Vogue, September 1948 p.72
  • Mendes, Valerie. Black In Fashion. London: V&A Publications, 1999.
  • Fashion : An Anthology by Cecil Beaton. London : H.M.S.O., 1971 no. 37
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.51-1974

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Record createdFebruary 24, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O74965/evening-dress-pierre-balmain/
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