Butter Silk Gown (F8)

Early 1930s stunning, shimmering pale yellow silk charmeuse gown with amazing design and detail from B. Altman & Co. Long and slinky with seam detail at the waist, cross-over swag in the back and long scarves that attach at the top of the neckline and wrap around. About knee level the skirt is constructed with a square-cut overskirt in front and back. French designer Jean Patou started dropping hemlines in 1927.

This gown artfully bridges the two decades of the Prohibition era. The tucked tailoring at the waist and knees uses techniques of the 1920s, while the silhouette would become a definitive aspect of 1930s eveningwear – the bias cut. Epitomized by curve-hugging dresses covering as much as they reveal, the bias cut is attributed to French couturier Madeleine Vionnet. The diagonal cut across horizontal threads allows fabric to expand and contract against the body. In many ways, French couturiers defined American eveningwear during the 1930s.

This dress was featured in The Mob Museum’s Ready to Roar exhibit in Las Vegas as shown in the first photo. It doesn’t fit over my dress form.

Label: B. Altman & Co.