Set
c. 1930
Silk crepe
Gift of L. Graham Patmore
Object number74.93.8
Cocktail dresses are semi-formal garments designed in endless variations today, but they emerged during the 1920s as flexible ensembles – sleeveless dresses with matching jackets – to help modern women adapt to changing social norms. Fashion historian Elyssa Schram Da Cruz writes that concepts of individuality and rejections of Edwardian respectability birthed the “phenomenon of the ‘Drinking Woman,’ who dared to enjoy cocktails in mixed company.” She needed a long-sleeved daytime ensemble for cocktail hour, but also more formal dress to move straight onto dinner.
DescriptionDress in silk crepe with black skirt and off white bodice and skirt yoke; cowl neck; split cap sleeves; faggoted seam details; below knee length. Matching cardigan style jacket in black silk crepe with pockets formed by neck / hem facing, off white crepe lining matching dressCollections
Exhibitions