Evening Gown

Clothing/Dress/Costume

Fox Historic Costume Collection

Name/Title

Evening Gown

Entry/Object ID

91.9.1

Description

Strapless evening gown of color blocked off-white, yellow, and gray silk with full skirt

Collection

Costume

Acquisition

Source (if not Accessioned)

Mrs. A. J. Drexel Biddle Jr.

Notes

Gift of Mrs. A. J. Drexel Biddle Jr.

Clothing/Dress/Costume Details

Article of Clothing/Dress/Costume

Gown

Clothing Sex

Female

Textile Details

Fabric

Chiffon, Silk Jersey

Color

Off-white, Yellow, Gray

Made/Created

Artist

Pierre Balmain

Manufacturer

Pierre Balmain

Date made

circa 1958

Time Period

1950s

Place

* Untyped Place

France

Region

Western Europe

Continent

Europe

Exhibition

Philadelphia in Style: A Century of Fashion from the Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

This couture gown by Pierre Balmain, with its tiny waist and full skirt, is a typical example of the evening fashions of the 1950's. Couture rebounded in the post-war period with French designers like Christian Dior, Gabrielle Chanel, and Cristobal Balenciaga setting the tone. Despite this resurgence, American ready-to-wear was more accepted than ever.