Evening dress

Madeleine Vionnet

fall/winter 1938–39 · metal thread · Costume Institute

"Mrs. Harrison Williams was a chef d'oeuvre, breathing a rarefied air of mystery, like some undine or goddess from another world who yet chooses to dress in the height of fashionable conventionality." Cecil Beaton In December 1933, Chanel, Lanvin, Lelong, Vionnet, Balenciaga, Molyneux and Mainbocher named Mrs. Harrison Williams the "Best Dressed-Woman in the World." Like Lady Mendl and the Duchess of Windsor, she possessed an inconspicuous elegance, which she achieved by choosing the clean and subdued lines of Vionnet and Balanciaga. Vogue observed, "She never orders the 'successes' in a collection, but instead, the costume which is noticeable only on second glance." Mrs. Harrison Williams' style and beauty have been immortalized in art, music and literature. In "Ridin' High" Cole Porter sang "What do I care if Mrs. Harrison Williams is the best dressed woman in town." In Truman Capote's Answered Prayers, she was the model for the character Kate McCloud.

Artist

Madeleine Vionnet

Date

fall/winter 1938–39

Medium

metal thread

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Harrison Williams, Lady Mendl, and Mrs. Ector Munn, 1946