cocktail dress

Frank Usher

Summary

White rayon in semi-satin weave, printed with large-scale floral design in greens, browns and yellow. Sleeveless bodice with wide round neck at front and deep v neckline at back, lined with plain weave brown rayon. Attached self-fabric waistband with 4 horizontal folds, hooking to loop at left. Full skirt pleated onto bodice at back and sides. Dress fastens centre back with zip and hook and eye closure at top. Loop and press stud inside each shoulder. Starched white cotton underdress attached to dress at waist; boned bodice, tape shoulder straps and hoop around skirt hem. Fastens at centre back with hook and eye above zip. Additional canvas underskirt pleated onto waist.

Display Label

Here we see laid bare, the essential, but usually concealed, under-supports attached within a cocktail dress designed by Frank Usher in 1960. Made of a bold floral silk, the dress has a tight fitting bodice, a short bell-shaped skirt and a wide sash to emphasise the waist, and it was worn by a Cambridge student to attend a May Ball. The dress relies on integral undersupports to give the required silhouette, including an inner starched petticoat with two attached hoops and a separate canvas underskirt to give even more support. The use of hoops means that the skirt is supported without the need for bulky petticoats which would become very heavy for the wearer. Similar types of supports have been used in the past to give women the fashionable silhouette that was required by adjusting the natural shape of the body. These structures were known as farthingales in the sixteenth century, hoops in the eighteenth century and crinolines and bustles in the nineteenth century, and they are still produced for wearing under the full skirts of wedding dresses or ball gowns.