dress

Lanvin, Paris

Summary

Sleeveless shift dress in buttercup yellow wool, tailored with decorative curving seams at sides and faux Peter Pan collar; long centre back zip; lined yellow acetate; large woven label on inner seam 'La Boutique de Jeanne Lanvin, Paris'. Unsold as lot 102 in Christie's 'Fashion through the ages' sale, 3.12.09. Belonged to Anne Moen Bullitt (1924-2007). Born in Paris but brought up in the States, she married 4 times. At first she bought clothes in New York, mostly from Hattie Carnegie, but her second husband, Nicholas Duke Biddle, who she married in 1947, was vice consul in the American Embassy in Madrid, giving Anne access to Balenciaga couture clothes with the Spanish name 'Eisa' operating in tandem with the Paris house. She later moved to Ireland and bought clothes by Sybil Connelly, Lanvin, YSL and others. Anne Bullitt was tiny, with an 18-20 inch waist, making her clothes virtually unwearable for anyone else.