Evening dress
Severe corsetting falling at the natural waist, a flaring skirt, and the return of gigot sleeves constituted a fin-de-siècle extremism. The engorgement of sleeves and skirt made this extreme constriction seem even more exaggerated in the context of the bulbous shapes surrounding the ideal, hard, narrow waist. The style was maintained well into the twentieth century as a flattering stage effect by actresses such as Sarah Bernhardt.
Artwork Details
- Title: Evening dress
- Design House: House of Worth (French, 1858–1956)
- Designer: Charles Frederick Worth (French (born England), Bourne 1825–1895 Paris)
- Date: 1893–95
- Culture: French
- Medium: silk
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Frederick M. Godwin, 1954
- Object Number: C.I.54.4.1a–c
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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