Evening dress Evening dress

Throughout the 1950s Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972) designed a series of extravagant and inventive evening dresses (mainly in fine silk taffeta) that were based on immense drapes and flounces. In this dress he confines the bouffant drapes to the back, while in contrast the front has a simple appearance with a V-neck and a straight, very narrow skirt, slit at the centre front hem to allow movement.

X-ray by Nick Veasey, 2016. © Nick Veasey