Medium: Silk brocade

Date: c. 1936

Country: USA

Credit: Gift of Mrs. Dudley Schoales

Elizabeth Hawes believed that American women should be free from the dictates of Paris fashion and to that end, she created couture clothing that was eminently wearable. She was also a modernist, as demonstrated by this bias-cut dress that uses construction to create an intricate stripe pattern. Hawes insightfully wrote, “My whole success as a dress designer depends on my feeling this very minute what my clients are going to want tomorrow and providing it for them.”

Object Number: 69.156.6