Evening dress

Among the most popular types of eveningwear during the 1920s were loose, sleek, shift, or chemise-style dance dresses with sleeveless armholes and wide-cut necklines that could be pulled directly over the head. A profusion of embellishment, often consisting of glass and metallic components that captured and refracted light when in motion, counterbalanced this minimalism in form.

When working with this quantity of beads, embroiderers would typically string them together in advance of their application, or purchase them this way, commonly anchoring them to the fabric ground using chainstitch and a Lunéville embroidery hook that penetrated fabric from the back. This enabled the embroiderer to work with the necessary speed and dexterity to meet the demand for intricate design, as tiny elements could be quickly manipulated and secured to the surface. On this dress, individual strands of beads act as both liberated pendulums of fringe and draped curtains of glass that attach only along the perimeters of the design, providing enhanced movement and flexibility for the wearer.