Melton For Shape: Christian Dior Cocktail Dress 1948Because this is black, you can’t see all the str

Melton For Shape: Christian Dior Cocktail Dress 1948Because this is black, you can’t see all the structure as clearly as you might like, but even these images from Augusta Auctions make you stop and think. This is a 3-piece cocktail outfit. There is in the order above: a shoulder shrug, a skirt, and a strapless bodice which had a corset built into it. Like any good evening wrap, the shrug creates some modesty until less is wanted and some warmth until it isn’t needed. But this one also sets off the face splendidly. It defies gravity by coming up around the back of the neck and shoulders, framing the face and upper body and drawing attention to them. The structure was built into the shrug by Dior’s design, but I think the use of wool melton, usually thought of as coating fabric, helped too. Ditto for the side panel which fans out from left hip of the skirt; structure was built into it via the cutting and sewing, but the thickness and relative stiffness of the fabric played their part too. Notice that the bodice is separate from the skirt and carefully fitted to the the corset which extends above and below the waist making any other underwear unnecessary for the breasts. Such custom-fitted clothing looked even sleeker as a result.  This is in 1948, right after the launch of the New Look in 1947 with his ultra-feminine soft shoulders, tiny waists and full hips. While we think of the full skirts popularized by Dior, he also created many in these years that were closer to the body. Both would remain popular into the 1950sYou can find Augusta Auctions here: https://augusta-auction.com/ -- source link

More pics about