Medium: Yellow silk charmeuse

Date: c. 1935

Country: USA

Credit: Gift of Muriel King

This classic, bias-cut slip dress by Muriel King expresses her belief that good design has the ability to endure the passage of time. The fluid, body-hugging dress is not encumbered by fancy trimmings or other such ornamentation, but rather relies on construction and fit to accentuate the female form, revealing a modernist sensibility. Pieced crisscross bands transect the bodice, producing basic geometric shapes while forming shoulder straps, a deep v-neckline, and an inverted, v-shape waist seam. The soft, warm hue of King's monochromatic design reflects her preoccupation with Hollywood while deferring to the tempered ideology of the 1930s.

Object Number: 71.268.35