Sunday Chic: A Cocktail Dress by Norman Hartnell, 1953

Dress
Norman Hartnell
1953
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This silk and wool faille lined with horsehair cocktail dress is embroidered with sequins and diamanté and was made by Norman Hartnell for Princess Margaret around the time of her sister’s coronation as Queen Elizabeth II.

Norman Hartnell was a favorite designer of both the Queen and her sister. He is best known as the couturier to the British royal family. Duriong the 1940s and 1950s, Hartness designed a colelction that Princess Margaret wore for her official duties.

He made this evening dress for her in a heavy black ribbed silk called grosgrain. He designed it specifically for the Princess's taste for clean lines with a minimum of decoration. In this case, only the shoulder straps are embroidered with silvered beads and diamantés, allowing the skirt to be the most important feature.