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Evening Dress
During the 20th century, the "little black dress" emerged as a wardrobe staple for women worldwide. Although French designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971) popularized the form in the 1920s, her compatriot Hubert de Givenchy created perhaps the most iconic little black dress for the actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) to wear in the opening scene of the film Breakfast at Tiffany's, released in 1961. Seven years later, Givenchy created the dress displayed here for American socialite and philanthropist Betsy Bloomingdale (b. 1922). The silk velvet body of the dress is decorated with bird feathers, costly embellishments that for centuries have evoked luxury, ostentation, and exoticism. |