Medium: Silk georgette, silk satin

Date: 1953

Country: France

Credit: Gift of Zita Hosmer

This snug, strapless gown uses a pleated skirt and a cummerbund to emphasize the narrowness of the waist and the womanly fullness of bosom and hips. Fath's choice of color has a painterly quality: soft yet radiant, the navy and mauve satin panels cross the fluttering georgette like thick brushstrokes to form a charming little bow at the side. It is a showcase for the woman and her feminine curves - the cornerstone element of Fath's design oeuvre. He was "not a radical designer," as the New York Times put it, but Fath excelled at "designing clothes with wearable glamour."

Object Number: 89.111.1