Object: Evening dress
Brand:
Balenciaga
(French, founded 1937)
Designer:
Cristóbal Balenciaga
(1895 - 1972)
Date: Fall 1957
Medium: Silk gazar
Country: France
Credit Line: Museum Purchase
Object number: P91.26.2
DescriptionSleeveless evening dress in black silk satin; surplice front panel extending to stand away fichu collar over open back; stylized bell skirt shaped with multiple box pleats and hemline sloping from below knee at front to floor length at back
Label Text:Balenciaga transformed modern couture by bringing tailoring, a method of clothing construction most frequently reserved to make fitted suits, to the realm of dressmaking. The result was garments, such as this evening dress, that remained true to the mid-20th-century silhouette (small, fitted bodices and full, calf-length skirt) but obtained their shape through the use of deft construction techniques and stiff but lightweight materials, such as silk gazar. This was a break from the more common practice of layering garments over supportive undergarments, like corsets and petticoats. The three-dimensional neckline and Balenciaga's hallmark canted hemline further exemplify his ability to sculpt weightless, but dramatic, form from cloth.
Exhibitions:
- Fashion & Textile History Gallery First Rotation