Evening Dress
1953 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Beaded, silk "crinoline" evening gowns became Norman Hartnell's hallmark. He was at the peak of his career in the mid1950s, when he designed this dress. Featuring a flamboyant, beaded pink flower over each breast, it would have been considered rather daring at the time.
Norman Hartnell wrote in his autobiography, "I despise simplicity. It is the negation of all that is beautiful."
Norman Hartnell wrote in his autobiography, "I despise simplicity. It is the negation of all that is beautiful."
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Satin with bead work |
| Brief description | Satin evening dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, London, 1953 |
| Physical description | Cream satin evening dress with pink beaded floral decoration. |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Lilli Palmer |
| Object history | Worn by the actor Lilli Palmer and given by her sister Mrs Hilde J. Ross. Mrs Ross comments that this dress, "made by Norman Hartnell, for some function in connection with the coronation, was made in 1953". She also gave T.252-1981, a Pierre Balmain she wore in the 1956 German filk 'Teufel in Seide' (Devil in Silk). |
| Summary | Beaded, silk "crinoline" evening gowns became Norman Hartnell's hallmark. He was at the peak of his career in the mid1950s, when he designed this dress. Featuring a flamboyant, beaded pink flower over each breast, it would have been considered rather daring at the time. Norman Hartnell wrote in his autobiography, "I despise simplicity. It is the negation of all that is beautiful." |
| Bibliographic reference | de la Haye, Amy, ed. The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997. V&A Publications, London, 1997, pp. 68 and 69. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.253-1981 |
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| Record created | August 28, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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