Cocktail dress
Brand
Balmain
(French, founded 1945)
Designer
Pierre Balmain
(1914 - 1982)
Fall 1958
Ivory silk satin, green silk, metallic embroidery, beige chenille, blue feathers, and iridescent sequins and beads
Gift of Ms. Dion Alden
Object number92.120.1
The elaborate, hand-stitched embroidery on this cocktail dress was likely inspired by Balmain’s admiration for 18th-century waistcoat motifs. Such lavish embellishments called attention to couture embroidery’s long history of unparalleled craftsmanship. Luxuriant details were paramount in reestablishing France as the capital of fashion after the Second World War.
DescriptionIvory silk satin cocktail dress symmetrically embroidered with floral design in gold and silver metallic thread, green silk, beige chenille, blue feathers, and iridescent sequins and beads; fitted camisole bodice; pegged, tapered skirt; coutureExhibitions