Object: Evening dress
Brand:
Balenciaga
(French, founded 1937)
Designer:
Cristóbal Balenciaga
(1895 - 1972)
Date: c. 1950
Medium: Silk tulle and satin
Country: France
Credit Line: Gift of Mary Alice Baumberger
Object number: 84.1.5
DescriptionGown: multiple parallel horizontal rows of shirred ivory silk tulle and narrow satin bands; décolleté neckline; chiffon lined bonded bodice with boned net underbodice; A-line with slight train; hemline tulle ruffle; satin bow trim at center front bodice and at each satin band center back; ivory silk underskirt with tulle hemline ruffle and horse hair band, organdy drop lining; left side seam zipper and underbodice hook closings. Pair of matching short sleeves: off white lining.
Label Text:Art historian Mary Blume observed that although Cristóbal Balenciaga “hated novelty for its own sake,” the couturier’s sleeve styles were “endlessly inventive.” His designs with detached sleeves were rare, but characteristically flattering. Vogue featured a similar example—with separate sleeves that fitted to the upper arm like ruffled garters—in 1948.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Statement Sleeves