Corset by Corsetière Edith

Corset
Designed by Corsetière Edith
London, England
1950s
Nylon, rayon & velvet lace
Museum no. T.137-2000
Given by Caroline Wren

Corsets were an essential part of a woman's wardrobe in the 1950s and were used to create the fashionable hour-glass silhouette. As foundation and support garments became increasingly sophisticated, lightweight materials such as nylon and new stretch fabrics replaced more traditional boning techniques.

Corset by Dior

Corset
Designed by Christian Dior
Paris, France
1950s
Elastic, velvet and lace
Museum no. T.140-200
Given by Caroline Wren

The 'New Look' launched by Christian Dior (1905-57) in 1947 made very small waists fashionable. Dior used firm underpinnings such as girdles, under-wired bustiers, and tulle and horsehair petticoats to achieve this. As the 1950s progressed, foundation and support garments became increasingly sophisticated. Lightweight materials such as nylon and new stretch fabrics ensured greater comfort.

This is a ready-to-wear corset, created by Dior. It was given to the museum when a Londonlingerie shop closed and gave the V&A its stock. The original hand-written price-tag is still on the corset and gives the name of the design as ‘Colette’. It also gives the price as £8, which was just over an average week’s wages in the middle of the 1950s.

Hat by Lachasse

Hat
Designed by Lachasse
London, England
1940s
Felt and net
Museum no. T.186-1990
Given by Mr Peter Lewis-Crown

Black evening shoe

Evening shoe
Designed by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior
Paris, France
1954
Silk satin and tulle
Museum no. T.148-1974
Given by Roger Vivier

Roger Vivier (1913-98) was a designer of luxury shoes and is credited with creating the stiletto heel. He designed for several couturiers, including Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s, but notably for Christian Dior from 1953-63. He is the only one of Dior's collaborators permitted to have a credit on the final design - 'Christian Dior crée par Roger Vivier' is marked inside every shoe. He often worked in elaborate and expensive materials including silks, pearls, beads, lace, metal threads and jewels.

Red evening shoes

Evening shoes
Designed by Christian Dior (1905-57)
Paris, France
Late 1950s
Silk satin
Museum no. T.153&A-1974
Given by Mrs Gloria Guinness

Christian Dior's ground floor boutique at his couture house on the Avenue Montaigne, Paris, sold all the finishing touches for his outfits, from shoes, hats, gloves and jewellery to stockings and cosmetics. These shoes would have been specially dyed to match the dress with which they were worn. Dior wrote that red ‘is the colour of life. I love red and I think it suits almost every complexion. Bright reds – scarlet, pillar-box red, crimson, cherry are very gay and youthful.’ He also described bows as the ‘natural ornament’ of an outfit.

Wedding headdress by Lachasse

Pointillé wedding headdress ‘Martian’s Claw’
Designed by Lachasse
Great Britain
1955
Pointillé, spangles and metal
Museum no. T.398-1988
Worn and given by Mrs June Gordan-Gottschalk

Mrs June Gordan-Gottschalk commissioned this futuristic headpiece for her wedding. Evocatively named 'Martian's Claw', it reflects 1950s interest in science fiction and space travel.

Beaded evening shoe

Evening shoe
Designed by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior
Paris, France
1959
Embroidered silk satin embroidered with metal thread, coral beads, sequins and diamantés.
Museum no. T.150-1974

Stamped on the lining is ‘Christian Dior crée par Roger Vivier Paris’

Hat by Dior

Hat
Designed by Christian Dior
Paris, France
1950s
Fur felt and grosgrain ribbon
Museum no. T.157-1982
Given by Mrs D M Haynes & Mrs M Clark

Pillbox by Balmain

Pillbox hat
Designed by Pierre Balmain
Paris, France
1946
Quilted satin embroidered with pearls
Museum no. T.46&A-1974
Given by Stella, Lady Ednam

Miss Stella Carcano y Morra wore this hat at her marriage to Viscount Ednam on 10 January 1946.

Evening shoes by Vivier for Dior

Evening shoes
Designed by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior
Paris, France
1958-1960
Silk satin embroidered with beads, gilt thread, rhinestones and pink brilliants
Museum no. T.149&A-1974
Given by Mrs Loel Guinness

Roger Vivier (1913-98) was a designer of luxury shoes and is credited with creating the stiletto heel. He designed for several couturiers, including Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s, when his designs were considered shocking by major retailers. He went on to collaborate with many couturiers to create shoes for their collections and started collaborating with Dior from 1953-63 when the New Look brought emphasis to the ankle and foot. He is the only one of Dior's collaborators permitted to have a credit on the final design - 'Christian Dior crée par Roger Vivier' - which is marked inside every shoe. Vivier created a number of innovative heel shapes for Dior, including the comma heel and the stiletto. He worked in elaborate and expensive materials including silks, pearls, beads, lace, metal threads and jewels.

Sling-back shoe

Slingback evening shoes
Designed by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior
Paris, France
1952-54
Silk satin covered with applied gold braid, sequins and paste jewels
Museum no. T.147&A-1974
Given by Mrs Loel Guinness

Christian Dior employed shoe designer Roger Vivier to design shoes to go with his fantasy romantic gowns and these evening shoes, encrusted with gold braid, paste stones and sequins, represent the ultimate in luxury footwear. Only the most wealthy members of society could afford Dior gowns and accessories. The donor of these shoes, Mrs Loel Guinness, had married into one of Europe's richest families, and she patronised the key designers of the golden age of couture - Dior, Balenciaga and Givenchy. Stamped on the lining is ‘Christian/Dior/Paris’

Hat by Balenciaga

Hat
Designed by Balenciaga
Paris, France
About 1950
Straw, silk and elastic
Museum no. T.115-1970
Given by Miss Catherine Hunt

This beret-shaped decorative hat is made from a very glossy golden straw with decoration consisting of leaves and berries.