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Clothing and Accessories
Women's Clothing ➔ Dress
Identifier:
2010.55.13Description:
This white party dress is made of silk and has an organdy overlay that is embroidered with green and white floral designs. It has a square neckline and thin straps with slits in them. There is a large green band of silk around the waist and a metal Talon zipper down the center back. This dress has an interior label that reads "Madeleine Fauth, Arkay, Inc.". The skirt has multiple layers to help add volume. Features that are indicative of the 1950s are the New Look silhouette, the cinched waist, and the back zipper. This dress was purchased in Grand Rapids, Michigan and was worn by Janice Cole to dances at Ottawa Hills High School between 1952 and 1954. It was photographed with petticoat number 130761.This dress is part of a collection of 18 party and evening dresses purchased at department stores and dress shops in downtown Grand Rapids between 1952 and 1955. They were worn by sisters Doris and Janie Cole to parties, dances, and various social events.
This style of dress was known as the New Look which was created by Christian Dior in 1947. The New Look featured cinched waists, full skirts, and emphasized the bust and hips. Dior often lined his skirts with taffeta or percale to help it retain its full shape. This style of dress remained popular throughout the 1950’s and was a turning point in women’s fashion. During World War II fabrics were rationed and women’s style allowed for very few embellishments. Restrictions were put on the number of seams allowed in a garment, the number of buttons that could be used, and how many pleats were allowed. Women had to provide coupons when buying fabric and ready-to-wear clothing had to meet government standards. When the New Look was introduced after the war, women were lining up to purchase the style which promoted femininity and curves.
Date:
1952 – 1954Materials:
Organdy, SilkDimensions:
45" h 4" wCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift Of Janice E. Cole, Doris A. Cole Louis And Helen ColeRelated Entities:
Madeleine Fauth (creator)Madeleine Fauth was a designer who began her career in the 1930s. The started working at one of the Seventh Avenue junior houses and then began working at the International Dress Company designing dresses for juniors. In 1942 she was hired by Arkay Incorporated to design similar dresses. Doris Cole (donor)
Doris Cole was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1938 to Louis and Helen Cole. She had a sister, Janice Cole, who was born in 1936.
Doris was raised in Grand Rapids and graduated from East Grand Rapids High School in 1955. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Radcliffe College in 1959 and went on to earn her Master’s in Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 1963. Doris began her career in Paris and Boston but in 1981 she became a founding member of Cole and Goyette in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She stayed with the business until 2012 when she opened her own practice, Doris Cole FAIA. She is also an established author, writing five books about architecture including the first book in the United States about women in architecture. Janice Cole (used by)
Janice Cole was born in 1936 to Louis and Helen Cole. She had one sister, Doris Cole.
Janice graduated from Ottawa Hills High School in 1954 and later received her Bachelor of Arts and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. She became a professor of English at Hood College in Fredrick, Maryland. Janice passed away in 1996.
