History’s Runway: The Duchess of Windsor’s Bal Masque; Ligne Trapèze, 1958

This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Ah, Wallis. You didn’t mind looking like a circus performer, did you? This unusual “Masked Ball” themed cocktail evening dress of black silk tulle, and beaded net tulle is trimmed with black satin bows.

The dress has a low round neck, elbow length sleeves and a bell-shaped skirt. The net is caught in drapes by the bows. The bodice and sleeves are trimmed with black beads and the hem is punctuated by a black satin band.

This is the work of the House of Christian Dior. And it looks every bit of the year of its creation—1958.

This was made for the Duchess of Windsor. She wore it when she was 62 years old! Daring. And, a little trampy. Christian Dior was one of Wallis’ favorites of the many designers she frequented. The gown was designed by Yves Saint Laurent for the House of Dior. Yves Saint Laurent claimed to have been influenced by the designs of the 1860s.

I wonder what Tim Gunn would say.

History's Runway: The Weisweiller Balenciaga Gown, 1960

This and all related images from
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In 1960, Madame Alec Weisweiller commissioned Balenciaga, her favorite couturier,  to design a special one-off gown for the 18th birthday party of her daughter (who was also exclusively dressed by Balenciaga). Both of the Weisweiller ladies were considered quite the Parisian personalities and were especially close with both Balenciaga and Cocteau.

The gown is unique in that Balenciaga, who favored linear shapes, bold colors and embroidery, has veered from these ideals to create a more youthful piece in pale pink organza and delicate floral patterns which lean more toward Dior than the usual Balenciaga look.  

This evening dress boasts a fichu-like collar which encircles the shoulders and crosses over at the front to attach to the bodice with hooks and eyes.  One side is adorned with a pink organza bow. Embroidery of cream lace florets, ribbon-work pink and green flowers with colored silks, and with white and pearl colored beads decorates the collar and the upper third of the skirt. 

Originally, a satin ribbon was worn at the waist.  This is now lost.  the ribbon would have served to hide the waist seam.  

Serious Style: A Balenciaga “Balloon” Evening Dress, 1950

Balloon Gown
Balenciaga, 1953-1954
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the 1950s, high society ladies were intrigued with the designs of Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972) who offered up a collection of sumptuous and theatrical evening gowns of silk taffeta which were inspired by dramatic drapery and flounces.

Here’s one of them. Designed by Balenciaga in Paris between 1953 and 1954, this gown of cerise silk taffeta features a bouffant back which offers an extravagant contrast to the simple lines of the v-neck front of the sleeveless sheath. A slit at the center of the tapered, narrow skirt allows the wearer a greater range of motion.

The back of the dress is composed of swathed flounces over doubled tiers of triangularly-cut taffeta. These layers are wired to help them retain their shape even after the wearer has been sitting.

Lined with chiffon, the dress fastens with a metal zip and a row of covered buttons at the reverse of the boned and padded bodice.

Balenciaga nicknamed this gown the “Balloon Dress.” It’s one of two which were made that season. The other is crafted of pale blue silk taffeta. This style nodded at the scale and extravagance of historical dress while keeping a modern silhouette and demonstrated a penchant for Nineteenth-Century designs which Balenciaga shared with Dior. By the 1960s, however, Balenciaga had transitioned to simpler designs.

Fans of FX's "American Horror Story," may be put in mind of the "Coven" character "Myrtle Snow" and her famous last word.  As Myrtle is bravely burned at the stake for a second time (this time voluntarily), the fashionista-spell-caster shouts, "Balenciaga" whilst wearing a red gown which is certainly an intentional nod to the designer's brilliant cherry works of this era.

Pardon the loop of "Balenciaga" on this video before Myrtle is...uh... enflamed, but it was the only clip available.

History's Runway: A Dior Cocktail Dress, 1957

Cocktail Dress
Christian Dior
London, 1957
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Well, isn’t this yummy? Here, we see a Christian Dior (1905-1957) cocktail dress made of raspberry-hue satin organza. A deep collar flares out from a fitted bodice from which gathered material cascades, seemingly held in place by two softly dramatic bows.

Dior believed that the design of a gown would come to him by studying the fabric. He wrote, “many a dress of mine is born of the fabric alone.” This philosophy is evident with this elegant cocktail dress. Dior let the crisp satin organza speak to him and guide him to create this bouffant masterpiece. The dress is given body by four layers of new petticoat affixed below the tightly fitted waist. The innermost layer of netting is further stiffened with horsehair so that the shape will be retained even after the wearer sits. 

Made in Dior’s London branch (established in 1954), the dress dates to 1957. Dior collaborated with Marc Bohan (b, 1926) on this piece. This was Dior’s “red dress” for 1957. Each of his collections included at least one red dress. Dior famously stated that “red is the colour of life. I love red and I think it suits every complexion. Bright reds - scarlet, pillar-box red, crimson, cherry are very gay and youthful.”

History's Runway: Dior-Vivier Evening Slippers, 1952-4

Evening Shoes
Designed for Dior by Roger Vivier
1952-53
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Christian Dior often commissioned the famed Roger Vivier to design shoes to go with his fantastic romantic evening gowns. These slingback, low-heeled evening shoes of hot pink satin are adorned with gold braid, and encrusted with paste stones, and sequins. They surely are the epitome of luxury footwear as well as a perfect example of the brilliant union of two genius designers.

These shoes, like Dior’s gowns, could have only been afforded by the most wealthy ladies. These shoes once belonged to Mrs. Loel Guinness. Mrs. Guinness married into one of Europe's richest families and was a constant patron of designers such as Dior, Balenciaga and Givenchy. Mrs. Guinness was voted “Best Dressed Woman” in the world by Time magazine in 1962 behind Jackie Kennedy in first place. This charming socialite owned seven homes and kept a full wardrobe in each so that she would never have to pack for a trip. 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Monte-Carlo; La Ligne Flèche (The 'Arrow' Line), 1956

Monte Carlo Gown
The Arrow Line
Christian Dior, 1956
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Designed by Christian Dior (1905-1957) in 1956, this short dress was worn by Laurie Newton Sharp, then-News Editor for Harrods during the store’s promotional goodwill tour to America. Press at the time described Newton Sharp as “the sort of impeccably elegant woman who carries an invisible mirror with her.”

Harrods News Editor described her much-admired personal sense of style thusly:

“I prefer to have a few good basic clothes, and then to be extravagant with hats and gloves. I would not buy a material that creases; or an accessory which did not match; or a colour which did not suit me. This means that when I begin to dress I can’t go wrong.”

And, she meant it. Newton Sharp was not shy about her clothes and had no problem making sure that each garment was perfect. For example, this dress was originally designed in plain white silk. Mrs Newton Sharp asked Dior to make a version for her in this custom-ordered, expensive floral print to suit her coloring. A top-coat of plain pink silk satin was added to the outfit.

The one-piece strapless dress of chiné rose patterned cream silk taffeta is lined with voile and draped at the bust and fitted at the waist with a slightly flaring skirt. The draping is held by a long bow which flows into the skirt. A heavily-boned bodice and stiffened petticoat help maintain the shape of the garment from beneath.

An article in The News Chronicle, May 7, 1956 recounts the visit:

She has the ‘secret of elegance' 

by Jean Soward. 

For grand summer occasions - a rose print short evening dress, with its own topcoat of rose pink organza by Dior (London)".

"I am taking no furs and no jewels… And my clothes are all off-the-peg - Dior (London) and Horrockses; I doubt if one can do better"... "For the American tour, Mrs. Newton Sharp will take lots of dresses with matching coats or jackets.. all by John Tullis at Horrockses. The London-made Dior clothes, too, are mostly two-pieces"...

History’s Runway: La Ligne Libre; “Belgique,” 1957

Gown
Dior, 1957
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This opulent, but, delicate, dress was designed by Christian Dior (1905-57) in 1957, the year of his death. The gown was commissioned by the Baroness Alain de Rothschild to wear for the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to Paris in April of 1957.

The 1957 state visit was the most important event of the 1957 Parisian social calendar. Couturiers were flooded with commissions for evening gowns and gala dresses. Lady Gladwyn, the wife of the British Ambassador, noted that even the Queen’s dresses could not compete with the grandeur of the gowns of the French society ladies.

We should note that Dior’s dress was originally white. Now, it appears to be an off shade of gray. That’s simply because it’s dirty with age. So, why not clean it? It is treated with a stiffening agent that would be destroyed by cleaning of any kind. So, in order to preserve the gown, it must remain as it is.

The gown features a strapless bodice and a full, gathered skirt. Net is draped around the bodice and a tulle fichu adds fullness around the shoulders, attaching at the front. The boned bodice has a cream silk lining.

Originally, the gown had a long satin ribbon tied in a bow, attached to the bodice at the point the fichu collar meets. The original ribbon is lost. However, at a photo shoot for the V&A in 2006, a light green ribbon was added to approximate what was originally there.

History's Runway: A Balenciaga “Balloon” Evening Dress, 1950

Balloon Gown
Balenciaga, 1953-1954
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the 1950s, high society ladies were intrigued with the designs of Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972) who offered up a collection of sumptuous and theatrical evening gowns of silk taffeta which were inspired by dramatic drapery and flounces.

Here’s one of them. Designed by Balenciaga in Paris between 1953 and 1954, this gown of cerise silk taffeta features a bouffant back which offers an extravagant contrast to the simple lines of the v-neck front of the sleeveless sheath. A slit at the center of the tapered, narrow skirt allows the wearer a greater range of motion.

The back of the dress is composed of swathed flounces over doubled tiers of triangularly-cut taffeta. These layers are wired to help them retain their shape even after the wearer has been sitting.

Lined with chiffon, the dress fastens with a metal zip and a row of covered buttons at the reverse of the boned and padded bodice.

Balenciaga nicknamed this gown the “Balloon Dress.” It’s one of two which were made that season. The other is crafted of pale blue silk taffeta. This style nodded at the scale and extravagance of historical dress while keeping a modern silhouette and demonstrated a penchant for Nineteenth-Century designs which Balenciaga shared with Dior. By the 1960s, however, Balenciaga had transitioned to simpler designs.

History's Runway: A Dior Cocktail Dress, 1957

Cocktail Dress
Christian Dior
London, 1957
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Well, isn’t this yummy? Here, we see a Christian Dior (1905-1957) cocktail dress made of raspberry-hue satin organza. A deep collar flares out from a fitted bodice from which gathered material cascades, seemingly held in place by two softly dramatic bows.

Dior believed that the design of a gown would come to him by studying the fabric. He wrote, “many a dress of mine is born of the fabric alone.” This philosophy is evident with this elegant cocktail dress. Dior let the crisp satin organza speak to him and guide him to create this bouffant masterpiece. The dress is given body by four layers of new petticoat affixed below the tightly fitted waist. The innermost layer of netting is further stiffened with horsehair so that the shape will be retained even after the wearer sits. 

Made in Dior’s London branch (established in 1954), the dress dates to 1957. Dior collaborated with Marc Bohan (b, 1926) on this piece. This was Dior’s “red dress” for 1957. Each of his collections included at least one red dress. Dior famously stated that “red is the colour of life. I love red and I think it suits every complexion. Bright reds - scarlet, pillar-box red, crimson, cherry are very gay and youthful.”

History's Runway: Monte-Carlo; La Ligne Flèche (The 'Arrow' Line), 1956

Monte Carlo Gown
The Arrow Line
Christian Dior, 1956
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Designed by Christian Dior (1905-1957) in 1956, this short dress was worn by Laurie Newton Sharp, then-News Editor for Harrods during the store’s promotional goodwill tour to America. Press at the time described Newton Sharp as “the sort of impeccably elegant woman who carries an invisible mirror with her.”

Harrods News Editor described her much-admired personal sense of style thusly:

“I prefer to have a few good basic clothes, and then to be extravagant with hats and gloves. I would not buy a material that creases; or an accessory which did not match; or a colour which did not suit me. This means that when I begin to dress I can’t go wrong.”

And, she meant it. Newton Sharp was not shy about her clothes and had no problem making sure that each garment was perfect. For example, this dress was originally designed in plain white silk. Mrs Newton Sharp asked Dior to make a version for her in this custom-ordered, expensive floral print to suit her coloring. A top-coat of plain pink silk satin was added to the outfit.

The one-piece strapless dress of chiné rose patterned cream silk taffeta is lined with voile and draped at the bust and fitted at the waist with a slightly flaring skirt. The draping is held by a long bow which flows into the skirt. A heavily-boned bodice and stiffened petticoat help maintain the shape of the garment from beneath.

An article in The News Chronicle, May 7, 1956 recounts the visit:

She has the ‘secret of elegance' 

by Jean Soward. 

For grand summer occasions - a rose print short evening dress, with its own topcoat of rose pink organza by Dior (London)".

"I am taking no furs and no jewels… And my clothes are all off-the-peg - Dior (London) and Horrockses; I doubt if one can do better"... "For the American tour, Mrs. Newton Sharp will take lots of dresses with matching coats or jackets.. all by John Tullis at Horrockses. The London-made Dior clothes, too, are mostly two-pieces"...

History's Runway: Dior-Vivier Evening Slippers, 1952-4

Evening Shoes
Designed for Dior by Roger Vivier
1952-53
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Christian Dior often commissioned the famed Roger Vivier to design shoes to go with his fantastic romantic evening gowns. These slingback, low-heeled evening shoes of hot pink satin are adorned with gold braid, and encrusted with paste stones, and sequins. They surely are the epitome of luxury footwear as well as a perfect example of the brilliant union of two genius designers.

These shoes, like Dior’s gowns, could have only been afforded by the most wealthy ladies. These shoes once belonged to Mrs. Loel Guinness. Mrs. Guinness married into one of Europe's richest families and was a constant patron of designers such as Dior, Balenciaga and Givenchy. Mrs. Guinness was voted “Best Dressed Woman” in the world by Time magazine in 1962 behind Jackie Kennedy in first place. This charming socialite owned seven homes and kept a full wardrobe in each so that she would never have to pack for a trip. 

History's Runway: 'Bosphore' (Bosphorus); La Ligne Aimant

Blue Velvet Embroidered Gown with Pearls
Christian Dior, 1956
The Cecil Beaton Collection
This and all related images from the
Victoria & Albert Museum

This short and strapless, midnight-blue velvet dress was designed in Paris in 1956 by Christian Dior (1905-57) and features delicate embroidery by Rébé, which includes velvet birds’ nests with clusters of pearl “eggs.:

The cut of the dress is simple and elegant, designed to showcase the gown’s opulent surface detail—divine embellishment  which would have required meticulous patience for, as Dior explained, “a ball dress may be entirely covered with millions of paillettes, or pearls, each one of which has to be put on separately.”

The dress cleverly has two attached petticoats, one of black net and one of navy blue silk to add delicate volume without being too puffy.  Originally, the dress was designed to be worn with a plain velvet bolero.  The jacket did exist, but was not part of the bequest to the V&A when the gown was given by Mrs. Stavros Niarchos III (1926-70) to Cecil Beaton who was orchestrating a couture collection for the museum.

Mrs. Niarchos was the ideal couture client - beautiful, stylish and exceedingly rich. Beaton had once written that “Mme Stavros Niarchos was about the only person who could afford to order one of the incredibly beaded dresses that Dior has designed.” 

According to the V&A,  “Beaton did indeed manage to persuade her to donate her Dior dress, which thankfully she had 'never had the heart to throw away', although she added, 'but I'm afraid they ain't too fresh-looking'.”