Dinner dress

Millicent Rogers, the original owner of this ensemble, was a woman of great personal style. She often worked closely with designers to infuse her own sartorial aesthetic into her clothes, including touches authentic to her most current surroundings. This particular ensemble by Mainbocher is an example of the custom designs Rogers enjoyed wearing. The 1830s, the Biedermeier period, held particular fascination for Rogers, as this design illustrates. It is one of three examples in the Brooklyn Museum's collection by Mainbocher for Rogers inspired by the 1830s (see 2009.300.788a, b). Rogers began to collect Biedermeier furnishings during her years in Austria before World War II, and upon her return to America at the onset of the war, she decorated her home in Virginia, Claremont Manor, built in 1750, with Biedermeier furniture. This Mainbocher creation is a unique example of Rogers' working relationship with many designers and her inimitable sense of style.