suit & blouse

Christian Dior, London

Summary

Suit of cream bouclé wool, with blouse of navy coarse linen-look fabric, plain weave. Jacket: Single-breasted, 3/4-length tight sleeves. Short waisted, fastening with single large ivory plastic button and rouleau loop. Collar with wide revers, slightly curved a lower edge of lapel. Jacket shaped to waist with waist dart; curved side front seams have bust dart. Horizontal welt pockets. Sleeves cut in two pieces with slash at cuff. Centre back panels with dart each side shoulder. Weights in side-back and centre back hem. Lined ivory rayon crepe de chine, fronts paded. Skirt: Cream bouclé wool. Waistband fastening centre back with hook, pop fastener and steel zip. Front panel of skirt has dart each side waist. Side front seams have vertical welt pockets. Knee-length has deep inverted pleats each side front seam, from mid-thigh to hem. Back cut in two panels with three darts each side waist. Back waist has boned petersham stiffening. Skirt lined cream satin-backed rayon crepe. Blouse: Navy linen-look sleeveless gilet blouse lined with navy chiffon. Front fastening with three poppers and a hook. Collar with fairly wide lapels, top-stitched. Blouse is short waisted, to be worn outside skirt waistband. Darts centre front waist, diagonal bust darts in wide seams. Backs have dart each side at shoulder. Lower edge of jacket fronts cut away in a curve from mid-line. Edges and collar have two rows of top-stitching. 3cm self-fabric belt stitched into centre back seam, fastening loosely at front with a navy plastic button. Raw edges bound with chiffon bias binding and facings tacked in by hand.

Display Label

A short, boxy jacket and three-quarter length sleeves lend an almost doll-like quality to this white suit by Yves St Laurent at Dior in 1960, and casts a retrospective eye towards Chanel's celebrated boucle suits. Dior's famous New Look, characterised by narrow waistlines and wide skirts had a long reign in the world of haute couture, and the Gallery recently acquired a coat dress in chestnut silk satin by Dior in about 1955. This dress belonged to Faith Eaton, the Queen's doll restorer who lived in Little Venice, and the suggestion has been made that this outfit was far to grand for her, so was a perquisite from the Queen or Princess Margaret in the late 1950s. Another black cocktail dress of the same date was bought from Christian Dior, London around 1956, followed by a dress dated 1960, when slimmer and shorter styles were popular, and daywear was increasingly required to look neat, chic and simple. The next three images show the Duchess of Windsor's Dior outfit of about 1950 which she commissioned to have interchangeable wide and narrow skirt, exemplifying the 'New Look'. Then there are two seminal collection outfits from the Zigzag line (1948) and the Tulip line (1953). The last image, a printed silk cocktail dress, is from 1956. Dior's died suddenly in 1957 leaving behind a fashion house at the peak of success. House of Dior has maintained its position in the forefront of couture, employing its iconic logo to good effect in peripheral accessories and products as varied as perfume, luggage and handbags. A series of high-profile head designers working under the Dior label, starting with Yves St Laurent, and including such figures as Marc Bohan and John Galliano, have added glamour, humour and panache to the respectability of a long-established company, and ensured its continuing success.