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dress, woman's, evening

human history
  • Other Name

    gown (descriptive name)

    short evening dress (descriptive name)

    cocktail dress (descriptive name)

  • Description

    dress, woman's, evening, with belt, slubbed blue silk, strapless style, bodice gathered into large bow to left proper breast, natural waistline, full skirt pleated into waistline, matching organza lining, zipper to centre back, skin coloured 'boned' net corset attached to lining with hook and eye closure to back, worn by donor

    This strapless blue silk cocktail dress is a Christian Dior design, which was produced in New Zealand exclusively by El-Jay. Gus Fisher established El-Jay in Auckland around 1945 it operated successfully until 1991.

    Its gathered bodice and pleated skirt are typical of 1950s Christian Dior collections. The style, which used large amounts of material to achieve the full-skirted look, was typical of the return to luxury in women’s clothing following the restrictions on fabric during wartime.

    [Evening gown, butterfly wing blue slubbed silk. Designed by Christian Dior and made under license by El-Jay, Auckland, early 1950s - gallery card]

  • Place
    Auckland Central/Auckland City/Auckland/New Zealand Paris/France
  • Accession Number
    1996.95.52
  • Accession Date
    05 Aug 1996
  • Other Id

    3153 (receipt number)

    3158 (receipt number)

    3166 (receipt number)

    3176 (receipt number)

  • Department

    Applied Arts and Design

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