Chiffon evening dress - Jean Desses

<p> Evening dress (robe du soir longue)<br /> Jean Desses (1904-70)<br /> Paris, France<br /> About 1953<br /> Chiffon<br /> Worn by Mrs Opal Holt and given by Mrs Haynes and Mrs Clark<br /> Museum no. T.105-1982</p>

Desses's fascination with draping and classical form resulted in gowns of great technical complexity. Although the bodice appears to be soft and unstructured, it is supported by the sewn-in boning common at the time.

Evening dress (robe du soir longue)
Jean Desses (1904-70)
Paris, France
About 1953
Chiffon
Worn by Mrs Opal Holt and given by Mrs Haynes and Mrs Clark
Museum no. T.105-1982

Evening dress by Fath

<p> Evening dress<br /> Jacques Fath (1912-54)<br /> Paris, France<br /> 1948 Spring/Summer<br /> Silk satin, embroidered by Rebe with sequins and beads<br /> Given by Lady Alexandra Dacre<br /> Museum no. T.184&amp;A-1974</p>

Lady Alexandra Howard-Johnston (later Lady Dacre) was the wife of the Naval Attache to Paris, 1948-50. She required an extensive wardrobe for the many formal dinners and state functions that she had to attend.

Lady Alexandra wore this dress at the official visit of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip to Paris in May 1948. She recalled that when she arrived at the Theatre de L'Opera with her husband, the Garde Nationale suddenly sprang to attention. 'I realised they had mistaken us for the Princess and Duke. That was the effect made by my splendid Fath'.

In 1971 Lady Alexandra gave some of her couture clothes to the photogapher Cecil Beaton. He was assembling a large collection of fashionable garments to be given to the V&A and displayed in his exhibition 'Fashion: An Anthology'. The V&A has kept Beatons' correspondence with designers, royalty and leading socialites of the day.

Evening dress
Jacques Fath (1912-54)
Paris, France
1948 Spring/Summer
Silk satin, embroidered by Rebe with sequins and beads
Given by Lady Alexandra Dacre
Museum no. T.184&A-1974

Evening dress by Ferier

<p> Evening gown<br /> Jean Desses (1904-70)<br /> Paris, France<br /> 1948 Autumn/Winter<br /> Voided silk velvet by Bianchini Ferier<br /> Given by the Hon Mrs J J Astor<br /> Museum no T.113-1974</p>

This gown features in French Vogue in October 1948. The magazine promoted both courturier and fabric supplier by name. Bianchini Férier had provided Parisian couturiers with luxurious silks since the late 19th century. The weight and textural qualities of this velvet lend themselves well to the contruction and shape of Dessès' draped, bouffant style.

Evening gown
Jean Dessès (1904-70)
Paris, France
1948 Autumn/Winter
Voided silk velvet by Bianchini Férier
Given by the Hon Mrs J J Astor
Museum no T.113-1974

Evening gown by Balmain

<p> Evening gown<br /> Pierre Balmain<br /> Paris, France<br /> 1956<br /> Satin Duchesse decorated with ribbon<br /> Museum no. T.49-1974<br /> Given by Lady Elizabeth von Hofmannsthal</p>

'Technical perfection', said Pierre Balmain, 'is not enough. To be a couturier means offering women a certain standard of excellents. The most difficult thing is not to be extravagant, but to know when to stop.' Balmain maintained that 'the basic job of a couturier ... is to dress women for everyday living' ('My Years and Seasons', 1964). For his clientele, normal life often involved numerous grand evening occasions and Balmain is perhaps best known for the lavish ballgowns he created for these events. The vertically looped ribbon decoration and the full, long skirt of this dress were inspired by 18th and 19th century garments.

The dress was worn by Lady Elizabeth von Hofmannsthal and forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection. This collection was brought together by the society photographer Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980). With great energy and determination, Beaton contacted the well-dressed elite of Europe and North America to help create this lasting monument to the art of dress. The collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue that detailed its enormous range.

Evening gown
Pierre Balmain
Paris, France
1956
Satin Duchesse decorated with ribbon
Museum no. T.49-1974
Given by Lady Elizabeth von Hofmannsthal

Detail of evening dress by Balmain

<p> Detail of bodice of evening dress<br /> Pierre Balmain (1914-1982)<br /> Paris, France<br /> Made for Spring/Summer 1957<br /> Printed silk, pleated and boned with applique decoration<br /> Museum no. T.50-1974</p>

Detail of bodice of evening dress
Pierre Balmain (1914-1982)
Paris, France
Made for Spring/Summer 1957
Printed silk, pleated and boned with appliqué decoration
Museum no. T.50-1974

Lady Gladwyn was the wife of the British Ambassador to Parisfrom 1954  to 1960.  She hosted the state visit of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in April 1957, and invited her great friend Lady Diana Cooper to attend the dinner held at the British Embassy on Tuesday 9 April. This dress was worn by Lady Diana, the wife of the former British ambassador in Paris. Lady Diana was a leading socialite of the time and a great friend of the society photographer, Cecil Beaton, who described her as a ‘tour de force of aristocratic beauty’. He persuaded her to donate the dress to the V&A. Beaton collected several of the dresses worn during this particular state visit to donate to the V&A. These included the Queen's embroidered ivory gown by Norman Hartnell, Lady Gladwyn's lilac lace gown by Jacques Fath and Baroness Alain de Rothschild's spotted tulle gown by Christian Dior.

Lady Gladwyn wrote in her diary: ‘The supper was, I think, just right for  the occasion: cold salmon, chaudfroid of chicken, a salad, oranges and lemons filled with sorbet, and a wonderful Bollinger ... The difficulty was to get rid of all the guests. They lingered on, and at half past one in the morning Cecil Beaton was still sketching Diana Cooper in the Ionian Room’.

Three evening dresses

<p> Three evening dresses designed by Christian Dior (left), Pierre Balmain (centre) and Jacques Fath (right)</p>

On the occasion of the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to Paris in April 1957, many grand events were held such as dinners at the Louvre, Versailles and the Elysée Palace together with visits to the opera and the races. It was the highlight of the year's social calendar and couturiers were inundated with requests for evening gowns and gala dresses from society ladies. Lady Gladwyn, the wife of the British Ambassador, commented in her diaries that even the Queen’s dresses did not compare to the French clothes for grandeur.

The photographer Cecil Beaton collected several of the dresses worn during this state visit to donate to the V&A including these three:

(Left): Evening dress ‘La Ligne Libre’ from Belgique worn by Baroness Alain de Rothschild
Christian Dior (1905-57)
Paris, France
Made for Spring/Summer 1957
White spotted tulle made by Dognin and ribbon by Guillemin
Museum no. T.121-1974
Given by Baroness Alain de Rothschild

(Centre): Evening dress worn by Lady Diana Cooper, wife of Duff Cooper, the British ambassador to France (1944-48)
Pierre Balmain (1914-82)
Paris, France
Made for Spring/Summer 1957
Printed silk, pleated and boned, with appliqué decoration
Museum no. T.50-1974
Given by Lady Diana Cooper

Lady Diana was a  leading socialite of the time and a great friend of Cecil Beaton, who described her as  a ‘tour de force of aristocratic beauty’. He persuaded her to donate this dress to the  V&A.

(Right): Evening dress worn by Lady Gladwyn, wife of Jebb Gladwyn, British ambassador to Paris (1954-60)
Designed by Jacques Fath (1912-1954)
Paris, France
1957
Lace dress, silk petticoat and velvet sash
Museum no. T.173-1974
Given by Lady Gladwyn

Jacques Fath opened his Parisian couture house in 1937. He quickly became known  both for his softly sculpted garments and a talent for self promotion. This dress is  likely to have been designed by Fath’s wife and muse, Geneviève, who upon Fath’s death in 1954, oversaw the house until it closed in 1957.

Evening dress by Cavanagh

<p> Evening dress made for Lady Cornwallis for the Coronation celebrations<br /> Designed by John Cavanagh (1914-2003)<br /> London, England<br /> Spring/Summer 1953<br /> Brocaded silk<br /> Museum no. T.294-1984<br /> Given by Lady Cornwallis</p>

Evening dress made for Lady Cornwallis for the Coronation celebrations
Designed by John Cavanagh (1914-2003)
London, England
Spring/Summer 1953
Brocaded silk
Museum no. T.294-1984
Given by Lady Cornwallis

This evening gown formed part of the John Cavanagh ‘Coronation’ collection. Although Cavanagh had been in business for just one year, he had already secured a reputation as a talented designer who catered for a discerning clientele, producing refined couture in luxurious fabrics.

The fabric was designed by Oliver Messel (1904-78), at the time Britain’s foremost designer of costumes and sets for stage and film, who was commissioned by Nicholas (‘Miki’) Sekers, who owned West Cumberland Silk Mills, an innovative textile company. The fabric was made using a weave particular to the Sekers company at this time. It is made of two separate layers of silk joined to form the design of scattered orchids woven in oyster, pale pink and green silk enriched with gold threads.

Evening dress by Givenchy

<p> Evening dress<br /> Designed by Hubert de Givenchy (born 1927)<br /> Paris, France<br /> 1955<br /> Silk organdie embroidered with white silk and sequins<br /> Museum no. T.223-1974<br /> Given by the Viscountesss de Bonchamps</p>

Evening dress 'Les Muguets' (Lilies of the Valley)
Designed by Hubert de Givenchy (born 1927)
Paris, France
1955
Silk organdie embroidered with white silk and sequins
Museum no. T.223-1974
Given by the Viscountesss de Bonchamps

Formal evening gowns were an essential part of a society lady's wardrobe in the 1950s. Sumptuously embroidered and accessorised with jewels, these gowns provided a glittering show at receptions and balls, the opera or the theatre. Some were specially commissioned for a specific occasion and worn only once, whereas others bear evidence of alterations.

This dress is embroidered with silk thread and sequins from top to bottom, which would have been very expensive as it was done entirely by hand. It would have been sent out to one of the many specialist workshops in Paris, and each tiny sequin  and stitch placed individually by a team of highly-skilled embroiderers.