Evening dress

Jessie Franklin Turner

ca. 1932 · silk · Costume Institute

Jessie Franklin Turner was well-known for her evening wear designs, many of which featured luxurious fabrics and thoughtful, alluring construction. This gown, owned by a frequent client of Turner's, is made of satin diamond shapes in cool, tranquil shades, pieced together with exquisite sophisticated seaming. The bias-cut sheath would flow over the wearer's body and the light would bounce becomingly off the shimmering satin. Among other special details that set her designs apart, Turner often incorporated dramatic, unconventional trains in her evening designs. This pointed example would make for a dramatic exit. An elegant example of Turner's work, this gown also beautifully illustrates her design aesthetic.

Artist

Jessie Franklin Turner

Date

ca. 1932

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 the estate of Mary Boocock Leavitt, 1974