Ball gown

Design House House of Dior French
Designer Christian Dior French

Not on view

Not since the House of Worth in the Belle Époque has a designer carries a love of the barely perceived detail to such extravagant extreme. A veil of tulle dulls the shimmer of the satin ground but then is embellished with a scalloped web of silver seed beads and pendant crystals. Excess and obsession govern the selection of ornamental elements. The waist is emphasized as the point of convergence of the scallops; in the bodice, the swags drop down; on the skirt, the scallops work upward.

Ball gown, House of Dior (French, founded 1946), silk, nylon, glass, metallic, French

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