Balenciaga, Spanish, 1895-1972

Dress and Cape

French, Winter 1965

Cotton lace, silk chiffon, silk satin ribbon

Gift of Mr. Vincente Minnetti  1977.c.296.A-B

"The silhouette is only important if it makes a dress elegant for a woman—nothing else counts."

-Balenciaga, Women's Wear Daily, 1958

In this "baby doll" dress of 1957, Balenciaga created startling volume out of delicate black lace crepe.  Seemingly innocent with its reference to children's dress, the black lace skims over the fitted underdress giving a veiled glimpse of the body underneath. The straight line of the lace accentuates the curved line of the body. Volume is created through a series of three ruffles of slightly stiffer black lace attached in rows on the underdress.

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