Medium: Silk jacquard taffeta

Date: c.1954

Country: USA

Credit: Gift of Mrs. William Messer

This full-skirted silhouette (dress on the right) was a favorite style of American designer Anne Fogarty. Heavily influenced by Dior’s New Look, Fogarty marketed her version of the trend to modern housewives on a limited budget. In her book Wife Dressing, she recommends investing in petticoats that “take on the shape of the dress . . . since full-skirt styles change gradually season by season.”

Object Number: 76.29.39