Evening Gown of Gold Lamé and Glass Beads

This full-length, fitted evening gown with wide swinging skirt has a mother-of-pearl-like lustre. It is made of gold lamé and pearl embroidery. Its shirt-shaped bodice, slightly shortened in front, has a low-slung neckline and arms. The bodice, straps, sides and back are all decorated in a pattern of arc and wave forms that are then ordered into wide parallel ribbons of strung pearl and staff beads. The plaited bands merge at the side and back into pearl embroidered lengths that alternate with the shimmering base material in the skirt. The flowing expanse of the skirt is achieved through the masterfully achieved bias cut. The material and complex tailoring of this gown render it a masterpiece of sartorial art. The dense pearl embroidery did not allow the seams to be sewn together and ironed, as would have been the norm, so the protruding strips of lamé were laid beneath the embroidery and counter-stitched in overlock by hand. The seam allowance was fixed with cross hem stitches.