1947-1957 The Golden Age of Couture: Paris & London (V&A Exhibit)

[SomethingElse]

Fashion Show
At houses such as Dior and Balenciaga, the collections were presented first to the fashion press, then to commercial buyers from Europe and America, and then to private clients. Finally, they were shown to the interested public on a daily basis for many months. Each garment was made specifically for the house model who wore it, so that it fitted perfectly and looked its best.
Every design was photographed and registered by name or number. However, despite a law passed in 1952 that a couture collection was copyrighted for one season, couturiers filed dozens of lawsuits a year in an attempt to prevent illegal copying. Anyone caught sketching during a collection was asked to leave but some professional copyists were able to memorise the garments by eye.
Dior's collections took place in the perfumed, crowded grand salon, and were often attended by celebrities and film stars. Balenciaga's sometimes lasted two hours and were conducted in complete silence, apart from the number of each design being called out. Balenciaga eventually banned the press from his collections.

vam.ac.uk

 

[SomethingElse]

Photography & Illustration

The role of an editor, said Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of American Harper's Bazaar, was to 'recognise fashions while they are still a thing of the future. The dressmakers create them, but without these magazines, the fashions would never be established or accepted'.
Photography and illustration played a key role in how fashion was perceived and portrayed. In this post-war period, however, photography began to dominate. Using natural lighting, unexpected locations and dramatic poses, it introduced an air of modernity that fashion editors liked. It also made photographic models such as Suzy Parker and Barbara Goalen household names.

vam.ac.uk

 

[SomethingElse]

Tailoring

The spring/summer and autumn/winter collections were the culmination of the couture house's activities. The showing of the new designs followed fixed laws of precedence, beginning with suits and ending with evening wear. Day outfits included casual ensembles (ensembles simples), morning suits (tailleurs matin), casual afternoon suits (robes d'après-midi simples) and sophisticated dress suits (tailleurs habillés).
Couture clients invested time and effort into commissioning their wardrobes, and the relationship with the designer was an intimate one. Hardy Amies wrote, 'It is often forgotten that we execute orders: we do not sell clothes. If you went into the Boutique you would buy a suit, but if you walk upstairs you order a suit. At the fittings you will be able to express your desires as to the position and finish of many details. The whole process should be a harmonious co-operation between designer, tailor and customer, with the saleswoman as a sort of referee'.

vam.ac.uk

 

[SomethingElse]

Cocktail & Early Evening

Daywear was followed by formal afternoon dresses (robes après-midi habillées), cocktail dresses (robes de cocktail), semi-evening (robes demi-soir) and short evening dresses (robes du soir courtes). These distinctions became simpler as the decade progressed and social codes began to break down.
Cocktail dresses first appeared in the 1920s and gained a new popularity after the war. They were worn at early evening or '6 to 8' gatherings, where guests usually stood and mingled. The gowns could include complex bustles and skirt details, which would be crushed if sat on.
In his book The Little Dictionary of Fashion (1954) Christian Dior described cocktail dresses as 'elaborate and dressy afternoon frocks', preferably in black taffeta, satin, chiffon and wool. These confections became the personification of the 'little black dress' and were often accessorised with gloves and small hats.

vam.ac.uk

 

[SomethingElse]

Evening & Ballgowns

The fashion show culminated with evening dresses (robes du soir), dance dresses (robes à danser), long evening dresses (robes du soir longues), grand evening dresses (robes grand soir) and spectacular gala dresses (robe de gala). Traditionally, the end of the collection was marked by the wedding gown (the robe de mariée).
Sumptuously embroidered and accessorised with jewels, these gowns provided a glittering show at receptions and balls, the opera or the theatre. Some were specially commissioned for a specific occasion, and worn only once. Many couturiers were also willing to lend expensive gowns for important diplomatic and state occasions.
The creation of couture was a matter of national pride, particularly in France. Christian Dior said, 'My mannequins sail forth like a brilliant armada, all sails flying, going forth to conquer the world in the cause of the new fashion.'

The Legacy

Dior's death in 1957 brought this golden age to an end. With the changing social and economic climate fashion moved from the fitting rooms and ateliers into the streets and boutiques. Yet, its legacy of artistry and craftsmanship survives in the remaining grand houses of Paris and the bespoke workshops of Savile Row.
This evening gown is by Christian Dior, Paris. They are designed by London-trained John Galliano, artistic director for Dior since 1997.

vam.ac.uk

 

[SomethingElse]

Here are a few other (better) images they had posted as postcards... arg.

I'm pretty certain this is a Balenciaga, but I can't seem to find it in the exhibit highlights except as a postcard. x2

vam.ac.uk

 

[SomethingElse]

Day Dress by Horrockses Fashion

The traditional focus of couture was the creation of high fashion garments for private clients. However, sales to department stores and wholesalers became increasingly important after the war. Some designers created ready-to-wear collections specifically for the export market, using the mass-production and sizing methods developed in the USA, and the sale of home dressmaking 'couture' patterns in Vogue and other magazines made the couturier’s ideas available to a wide audience and proved to be both lucrative and popular.
Ready-to-wear dresses such as this from Horrockses Fashions combined the fashionable couture silhouette with youthful and innovative textile designs, and would have appealed to women of different ages and social backgrounds as the perfect summer dress. These dresses were relatively expensive and were popular with members of the Royal Family - but working women would save up to buy one, often as a honeymoon outfit.

vam.ac.uk

 

[SomethingElse]

Design a Shoe Competition

Shoes are an integral part of any fashion style, and this was particularly true during 1947-57. Clothing rations ended in 1949, and a new sense of frivolity, femininity and extravagance emerged. Decorative details such as bows, buckles and beadwork were in. The court shoe with its pointed toes and narrow high heels, an early version of the stiletto, was a crucial element to the Christian Dior look. For men the traditional lace-up remained popular. New styles started to emerge from 1947 as well as revivals such as the ankle boots that were back in fashion by the 1950s, and the first Chelsea boots with elastic sides were made in the late 1950s.

If you are inspired to create you own shoe design then you can submit your shoe design into a competition judged by Professor Jimmy Choo OBE.

vam.ac.uk

 

[cygnenoir]

Ooooh, thank you SomethingElse!

I am dying to see this exhibition - I even pre-ordered the catalog on Amazon.

(Btw, if you are in the States, it's less expensive on Amazon US than through the V&A - but it appears to take much longer. I don't know why it's still on pre-order when it obviously already exists in the V&A shop.)

Now, about those tickets to London...

 

[christina126]

That Lily of the Valley Givenchy gown is heavenly!

I love the vintage Dior shoes too.

Thanks for posting all these pictures.

 

[BerlinRocks]

V&A exhibit' : the Golden Age of Couture Paris & London, 1947-1957

from Sept, 22th 2007 to Jan, 6th 2008 @ Victoria and Albert Museum...
must be a MUST SEE exhibition...
did someone go???
did someone buy the catalogue???

The launch of Christian Dior's New Look in 1947 marked the beginning of a momentous decade in fashion history, one that Dior himself called the 'golden age'. Celebrating the end of war and the birth of a new era, it set a standard for dressmaking and high fashion that has rarely been surpassed.
In Paris, couture houses such as Balenciaga, Balmain and Fath attracted worldwide attention for elegance and glamour. London was renowned for formal state gowns by court dressmakers and impeccable tailoring by designers like Hardy Amies.
The production of couture was important to the prestige and economy of both France and Britain. While traditionally catering for wealthy private clients, the couture houses also sought new markets. As the decade progressed, they created perfumes, opened boutiques and licensed their designs to foreign manufacturers. By the late 1950s, the leading couture houses had become global brands.

Exhibition Highlights

Select a link below to find out more about some of the highlights from the exhibition.

• Tailored Suits - Cristóbal Balenciaga
• Dress & Petticoat - Pierre Balmain
• 'Bar' Suit & Hat - Christian Dior
• Evening Dress - John Cavanagh
• Chiffon Evening Dress - Jean Dessès
• Silk Velvet Evening Dress - Jean Dessès
• 'Les Muguets' - Hubert de Givenchy
• New Look Suit - Hardy Amies
• Miss Lachasse - A Couture Doll
• Lady Alexandra - A Couture Client
• Shoes - Roger Vivier
• Zémire - Christian Dior

etc.

see more
http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1486_couture/

 

[SomethingElse]

Thanks, BerlinRocks! Model_Mom started a thread here.

 

[yellowetpink]

I'm going on the 3rd of January before Spice Girls.
Can't wait!

 

[BerlinRocks]

Thanks, BerlinRocks! Model_Mom started a thread here.

...
maybe some mods should erase or merge...
really sorry...

 

[aaron95]

OMg those are Nice Dresses!!

 

[cygnenoir]

I just went to the V&A webpage -

http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1486_couture/index.php

and they've added all sorts of interesting things. There are podcasts, lectures, a shoe design contest judged by Jimmy Choo and oddly, a pattern for the 1953 Day Dress by Horrockses Fashion:

vam.ac.uk

I think I may have to make it!

 

[cygnenoir]

If any of you are in Victoria, Australia, this exhibit is now at:

Bendigo Art Gallery
42 View St
Bendigo VIC 3550

7 December 2008 - 22 March 2009
From the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, this exhibition explores one of the most glamorous and remarkable decades in fashion history. Starting with the impact of Christian Dior’s New Look after the Second World War, it looks at the work of Dior and his contemporaries during the period when haute couture was at its height.

(And yes, I'm terribly jealous. I found this thinking it was Victoria, BC in Canada which is near me... )

 

[Ziegfeld Girl]

^ I'm really excited about this exhibition. Bendigo is quite a drive away from the city but I think it will definitely be worth it. I'm planning to go with my mother sometime next year.

 

[mrsjamesdean]

I actually scanned some of the images from my own copy of the book that was released coincided with the event.You can see more from my blog...

source:my scans

 

[Alicegraphia]

Avedon and the New Look

Hi, thanks for all this amazing posts and pictures...
I'm studying RICHARD AVEDON's work on that period, when he started collaborating with Harper's Bazaar... I REALLY need some more pictures to work on. Does anybody have something more to scan for me?