Dress

Design House House of Dior French

1947

Not on view

Although Christian Dior had not yet designed a collection under his own name in 1947, he drew upon his experiences as a fashion illustrator and design assistant to create his first line. Dior called it the "Corolle Line" but editors immediately dubbed it "The New Look" collection and their praise launched Dior's career. This day dress exemplifies Dior's silhouette of 1947. The exaggerated hipline is created by a haircloth interlining, while the midriff is tight and elongated and the shoulders somewhat broad and square. The very full pleated skirt has a weighty quality to it. The length and fullness of the skirts in this collection heralded the end of the fabric rationing which had had a marked effect on fashion for the duration of the second World War.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Title: Dress
Design House: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
Designer: Christian Dior (French, Granville 1905–1957 Montecatini)
Date: 1947
Culture: French
Medium: wool
Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Bettina Ballard, 1952
Object Number: 2009.300.165
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

"L'Eléphant Blanc", House of Dior French, silk, metallic thread, glass, plastic, French — "L'Eléphant Blanc"
Design House House of Dior
Designer Yves Saint Laurent
Manufacturer Rébè
spring/summer 1958

Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome, Henri-Joseph Harpignies French, Pen and black ink, brush, gray and blue-gray washes — Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome
Henri-Joseph Harpignies
1856

Coatdress, André Courrèges French, wool, silk, French — Coatdress
Designer André Courrèges
1965

"Venus", House of Dior French, silk, sequins, rhinestones, simulated pearls, French — "Venus"
Couture Line House of Dior
Designer Christian Dior
fall/winter 1949–50 haute couture

Costume Bell, metal, Possibly French — Costume Bell
Possibly French
19th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.