Image: Babydoll dress by Balenciaga, 1958

Description: Center Cristóbal Balenciaga Spanish (active Spain and France), 1895-1972 Cocktail Dress , Winter 1958 Silk machine-made lace over silk chiffon backed by silk plain weave, rayon satin ribbon Cristóbal Balenciaga’s “baby-doll” dresses of 1957 and 1958 illustrate his experiments with abstraction and exaggeration of form. A see-through lace dress swings from the shoulders, revealing a slim sheath beneath. The loose overdress, slightly shorter in front, is held away from the body by deep, layered ruffles around the bottom. To ensure the ruffles spring outward, they are tightly gathered and supported underneath by stiff gathered net and openwork bands of nylon horsehair. Gift of Mrs. T. Charlton Henry, 1975-100-2 From the Placard: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/873.html www.balenciaga.com/us en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crist%c3%b3bal_Balenciaga
Title: Babydoll dress by Balenciaga, 1958
Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rverc/46216865302/in/photostream/
Author: Regan Vercruysse
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes