Evening dress

Mme. Eta Hentz

fall/winter 1948 · silk · Costume Institute

The inventive cut of the fabric of the skirt, and the folding and draping of the fabric at the back of the neck, makes this dress a lovely example of Madame Eta's work. The skill with which this garment is draped and pieced shows attention to detail and added elements during the post war period. After the short lived L-85 fabric restrictions were lifted and the war was over, designers incorporated more fabric and embellishments in their designs. The self tie rhinestone belt is evidence of this. Madame Eta was a well known ready-to-wear designer, and a contemporary of Maurice Rentner, Nettie Rosenstein and Pauline Trigère. These designers were whom women looked to for dressy day and evening clothes during the 1940s.

Artist

Mme. Eta Hentz

Date

fall/winter 1948

Medium

silk

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Madame Eta Hentz, 1949