Evening Gowns. An evening gown, evening dress or gown is a long flowing dress usually worn to formal occasions. The drop ranges from ballerina (mid-calf to just above the ankles), tea (above the ankles), to full-length. Evening gowns are usually made of luxurious fabrics such as chiffon, velvet, satin, organza, etc. Silk is a popular fibre for many evening gowns. Although the terms are used interchangeably, ball gowns and evening gowns differ in that a ball gown will always have a full skirt and a fitted bodice, while an evening gown can be any silhouette—sheath, mermaid, A-line, or trumpet shaped—and may have an empire or dropped waist. Reference: Wikipedia
A Natalie Cole gown worn on a 1992 PBS concert special Coral-colored full-length silk gown with a halter neckline, a peplum top of iridescent beads and sequins, and a full skirt, bearing an interior “Fabrice / New York / Couture” label. Cole wore this gown on the PBS television special, Unforgettable, with Love: Natalie Cole Sings the Songs of Nat King Cole, which aired on March 6, 1992, when her album of the same name was selling millions of copies.
Sold for US$ 750 (£ 582) inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2018
A GOLD KNIT ONE-SHOULDER GOWN CHANEL, CRUISE 2011 GRADE: 1 Estimated Size Medium
Sold for USD 1,000 at Christie’s in 2018
Hattie Carnegie Gold Lame Evening Gown and Jacket The bodice of the gown sleeveless and bare, the skirt sewn in small gathers at waistline edged with piping, the bodice back low and ruched towards center, the skirt densely gathered at center to form train effect, self belt with jeweled buckle, the bolero jacket of brown wool with floral design worked in gold bouillon and topaz colored stones, size 8, labeled: Hattie Carnegie.
Sold for $862 (includes buyer’s premium) at Doyle New York in 2001
“Hollywood Graffiti Gown” Hand Beaded Platinum, Bugle & Seed Bead Black German Velvet Evening Gown W/Over 360 Celebrity Signatures Made by Jeran Designs – This instantly recognizable gown by Jeran Designs is the infamous Hollywood Graffiti Gown which was created over the period of over 24 years. The form-fitting long-sleeved evening gown has a bateau neckline, dolman sleeves and large fishtail train, and is constructed of luxurious German black velvet. The gown is embellished with over 360 signatures from some of entertainment’s most influential and powerful woman, which were hand beaded by Randy McLaughlin using platinum bugle beads, crystal seed beads and crystal lochrosen accents. Some of the signatures were acquired over the years as designers Jerry Skeels and Randy McLaughlin were visited by these iconic women in entertainment who were their clients and friends, while others would sign on paper and fax theirs in. Since 1984 when the first signatures were collected, the Hollywood Graffiti Gown has been a symbol of love, support and hope for the thousands affected by HIV and AIDS. Each signature brought more awareness to the cause during the height of the epidemic. The gown was revealed in 2004 at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences “TV Cares Ribbon of Hope Celebration” where Skeels and McLaughlin were honored by the Academy with a Certificate of Recognition for their achievement and dedication. It was displayed around the globe from La Paz, Bolivia, to the Hollywood Museum in Los Angeles, and was meant to fulfill its ultimate purpose in 2013 when it was to go to auction where it was expected to start at $1 million and the proceeds were to be donated to support AIDS related charities. Unfortunately both Jerry Skeels and Randy McLaughlin passed before the auction of the gown could take place. This incredible gown contains over 360 names of the most influential women including Bette Davis, Carol Channing, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, Dakota Fanning, Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Cate Blanchett, Mary Wilson, Gladys Knight, Mother Teresa and countless others. The gown will come with a promotional photo on cardstock made by the designers which lists over 360 celebrity names who they say signed the dress. The gown will also be accompanied by the binder kept by Skeels and McLaughlin which contains the celebrities signatures.
Sold for $275,000 at GWS Auctions Inc. in 2019
Evening dress spring/summer 1947 Jacques Fath French The corset is a fashion convention to define the waist and project the bosom. Challenged by nature, reason, and gender rights, the corsetted silhouette remained a persistent aesthetic ideal of the twentieth century. During the 1940s and 1950s, in particular, ideas of femininity were expressed fashion-wise in a cinched waist akin to the corsetted construction of the past, as in this evening gown by Jacques Fath. Despite the anachronistic lacing, this dress reveals its structure like a modernist building. Pink, a color of twentieth-century lingerie, is combined with a traditional lacing in an evening silhouette of the postwar years, here given deeper historical resonance. In 1954, just before his death, Fath returned to the representation of the corset as a means of reationalizing the wasp waist he preferred.
Reference: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Evening gown, apricot silk brocade with low off the shoulder neckline, fitted bodice, full sleeves & slightly high waistline, c. 1835.
Reference: Museum of Applied Art and Sciences
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