Cocktail dress

Cristobal Balenciaga|House of Balenciaga

spring/summer 1958 · silk · Costume Institute

Inspired by the dropped waist silhouette of the 1920s, Balenciaga's chemise quickly became the sack with midsection fluidity and fullness in contrast to its hobbled hemline. Its iconoclasm of nullifying the waist was controversial. Even an "I Love Lucy" episode featured Lucy and Ethel in Paris donning the faux chic of burlap sacks first as style victims and then as style leaders. Balenciaga disdained the popular and journalistic appellation of the sack.

Artist

Cristobal Balenciaga|House of Balenciaga

Date

spring/summer 1958

Medium

silk

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Herbert Levine, 1973