dress, 1-piece

The donor, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain, wore this cocktail dress in the 1950s. She was the daughter of two silent screen stars, John Gilbert and Leatrice Joy. In 1985, she co-wrote a biography of her father's life. The mother of five children, she was active in charitable causes, including the preservation of silent movies.

Harvey Berin, the manufacturer of this dress, was noted for his cocktail and dinner dresses. Although he had begun his own business in the 1920s, he did not use his own name on the label until the 1940s. His designer, Karen Stark, would modify Paris fashions selected by Berin for the American market. Notable customers included several first ladies: Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman, Pat Nixon, and Lady Bird Johnson. He closed his business in 1970.

This sleeveless dress is constructed of claret colored silk satin. The wide scoop neckline is slightly V-shape in front and scooped in back. The bodice section has a surplice front with the overlapping section at top left covered with a wide flat self-fabric bow. There is a dart on either side of the center front waistline and side seams. A center back opening with a metal zipper extends into the skirt section. The waistline is piped, and there are gussets at the underarms. A red taffeta inner camisole with narrow straps is stitched to the dress at the waist. The flared skirt section has a wide inverted pleat at center front and center back with an additional soft pleat at either side of the center pleat at both front and back. There is a fold over hem. A white net petticoat is stitched to the inside waist. The waist measures 24 inches.

This dress was exhibited in Suiting Everyone: The Democratization of Clothing in America at the Smithsonian Institution from 1974 to 1979.

Currently not on view