Evening Dress

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Created: 1980s
Created earliest year: 1980
Created latest year: 1989
Credit line: Gift of Barbara Livesey
Description: A full-length black and white silk chiffon dress with a high, round neckline and long sleeves. The dress fastens in the front with 8 plastic buttons from neck to mid-thigh. The sleeves are full and are gathered onto a wrist band that is fastened with one plastic button. The dress has square shoulder with large shoulder pads. The dress is made from two layers of silk chiffon, an outer black layer and inner layer or lining of white chiffon. These two layers are treated separately, but are joined together at the front of the dress at the button placket. The inner white layer is box-pleated; the outer black layer is knife-pleated with the pleats sewn in place from shoulder to hip. At the mid-thigh the outer layer of black chiffon is split and attached to the inner layer forming a series of white gores that can only be seen when the dress is in motion. All sewing construction is of the highest quality with a great deal of hand finishing on the interior of the button placket.
Extent: L (shoulder to hem): 57 in.
Identifier irn: irn-63422
Identifier accession number: 2006.92
Medium: silk chiffon
Title: Evening Dress
Type: Costume