Evening dress
Category
Costume
Date
c. 1926
Materials
Cotton muslin, glass beads and metal sequins
Order this imageCollection
Killerton, Devon
NT 1361099
Caption
This sparkling dance dress was worn by Alice McClintock (1904–79), who was described by the dress’s donor to the National Trust as ‘a great friend of mine and a splendid character’. A daughter of Major Leopold Alfred McClintock RA and Harriet Franklin Price, Alice was probably in her early twenties when she wore this dress. At the time she was already an enthusiastic contralto, amateur actress and wardrobe mistress for the Exmouth Players. The Needlewoman magazine noted in July 1927 that ‘The straight line … still prevails’ in Paris models. A perfect foil for dazzling beading designed to reflect the new electric light then beginning to illuminate ballrooms and clubs, the modern chemise style was nicknamed garçonne, derived from La Garçonne (‘The tomboy’) a controversial 1922 novel by Victor Margueritte (1866–1942) featuring an emancipated heroine. Depending on the number of glass beads used, a single dress could weigh several pounds. Here, dense borders of silver bugle beads suggest a divided skirt and waistcoat, complementing the boyish shape. Shelley Tobin
Summary
A pink cotton muslin evening dress decorated with glass beads and sequins arranged in bands to create a geometric design, c.1926 .
Exhibition history
Unflappable - Fashioning the 1920s, Killerton, 2025
References
Antrobus and Slocombe 2025: Helen Antrobus and Emma Slocombe, 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the collections of the National Trust, National Trust 2025, pp. 170-171.