Pierre Balmain Evening gown Cream silk satin and black velvet; net underskirt Circa 1960, France The Museum at FIT, 84.103.5, Gift of Mrs. Roger Tuteur Haute couture was firmly established in the 1950s as the luxury industry par excellence. With an international stature and clientele, it projected a unique visual sumptuousness with expensive materials and quality custom production. Classically, luxury operates through symbols of distinction, asserting values of taste and class refinement. Pierre Balmain evokes the dignity and refinement of a tuxedo by adding a cumberbund to this elegant evening gown, reflecting his observation that “a certain desire to not draw attention mixes with a subtly noticeable concern to be distinctive.”
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Photograph by Jennifer Park, courtesy of The Museum at FIT
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