Evening dress
Designer
Elizabeth Hawes
(American, 1903 - 1971)
c. 1936
Silk brocade
Gift of Mrs. Dudley Schoales
Object number69.156.6
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.”
DescriptionLong silk brocade striped evening dress; in white, violet and lavender; cowl neckline; cap sleeves; large diamond shaped insert at waist with deep stitched tuck at center waist; opening at bust and low hip to form deep center pleat in bias skirtCollections
Exhibitions