Evening dress

House of Patou

1947–49 · synthetic fiber (estron) · Costume Institute

In 1949, marketing company A.M. Tenney Associates commissioned French couturiers to design clothing that featured Estron, a new synthetic fiber developed by Tennessee Eastman Corporation. Jean Patou's contribution is an evening dress in a lovely Estron iridescent taffeta. The brilliant green color juxtaposed with the deep red of the flower is visually arresting, and the shoulder treatment is balanced by the diagonal buttons on the bodice and the intriguing placement of the floral ornament at the hip that seems to hold up the skirt, creating a chic slightly asymmetric hem.

Artist

House of Patou

Date

1947–49

Medium

synthetic fiber (estron)

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of A.M. Tenney Associates, Inc., 1950