Evening dress

The sinuous design of this glamorous evening dress exemplifies the style of the French designer Jeanne Lanvin during the 1930s. Smooth glossy silk satin was especially exacting to make and accuracy was crucial as the tiniest mistakes could not be concealed. This attention to detail can be seen in the careful construction of this dress with its hip panels, seaming and collar with its rows of parallel top-stitching. Lanvin favoured decorative techniques such as top-stitching and ruching to create stunning visual effects and low-key Art Deco relief. Miss Sylvia Golding owned the dress and gave it her niece Sarah Golding in 1959 to dress up in. Sarah does not know how the dress came into her aun

Evening dress · Paris · 1935. Silk satin decorated with machine top-stitching; machine-sewn and hand-finished. By Lanvin, Jeanne. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.