OCTOBER 13, 2007 - JANUARY 5, 2008
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Madeleine Vionnet (1876 – 1975) is best known for her brilliant
use of the bias cut, which resulted in body-worshipping gowns.
She claimed to have abolished the corset in 1907 – before Poiret
and Chanel. She closed her couture house in 1939, but the brand
has recently been relaunched. Mrs. Potter Palmer II wore this dress when she was presented to the Queen of England in 1938. Court rules dictated every detail of the dress, including length of skirt, choice of colors, and style of embroidery. Court presentations became less formal after World War II and were abolished in 1958. |
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| Madeleine Vionnet, court presentation gown, smoke-gray chiffon, rhinestones and silver beads, 1938, France, worn by Mrs. Potter Palmer II, née Pauline Kohlsaat, gift of the Estate of Mrs. Potter Palmer II, née Pauline Kohlsaat, photograph by Irving Solero | ||||||