KCIDigital Archives

The KCI Digital Archives on the KCI website presents image and text information for the objects in the collection, arranged in chronological order.

Evening Dress

© The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Taishi Hirokawa

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Evening Dress

Autumn/Winter 1955

Designer
Christian Dior
Brand
Christian Dior
Label
Christian Dior PARIS MADE IN FRANCE AUTOMN-HIVER 1955 (75917 Stamp)
Material
Champagne-pink silk satin; with three over-layers of tulle embroidered with silver threads and sequins.
Inventory Number(s)
AC7081 92-8-5

This dress represents Christian Dior's elegance in his design style. Covered with embroidery which changes size according to the body line, the dress emphasizes the thin waist and the wide-spreading skirt, achieving a perfection that is only possible through Paris Haute Couture. During the heyday of Haute Couture in the 1950s, embroidery for evening dresses peaked both in quality and quantity. Especially Dior often executed embroidery on sewed-up pieces of already embroidered fabric to hide seams. This technique can be seen in this dress as well.
Dior's elegant style was ideal for the class that thought highly of refinement. Included in his list of customers were Princess Margaret of England (1919–1991) or Margot Fonteyn (1919–1991), etc.

1950s