Background Mainbocher drew inspiration from East Indian clothes, colors, and textiles for his Spring 1949 collection, lacing it with golden appliqués and dangling ornaments. He intermixed Western motifs with ones of sari origin: this black silk evening dress and jacket feature both Indian-derived palmettes and tropical palm trees embroidered in bugle beads and sequins. Description Dress: Lightly fitted; mid-calf length; sleeveless; scoop neck front and back; full, flared skirt, bias cut; attached self belt, ¾" wide; beaded at neck, hem, and scattered on skirt; Left side zipper; skirt lined in black faille. Jacket: Loosely fitted; waist-length; deeply notched lapel; short sleeve with turn-up cuff; beaded palmettes on lapels; lined in black silk crepe. Garment structure The dress bodice is unlined. The full skirt is flared to avoid bulk near the waist while maintaining fullness at the hem. Beaded palmettes on the jacket lapels are repeated on the skirt. Worn by donor. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1973.

Background In his “collection for individuals” in the spring of 1950, Mainbocher offered his popular short evening dresses in different styles and fabrics as alternatives to full-length gowns. By layering a swag of drapery diagonally from shoulder to hem and adding a touch of bright blue tatted lace, his design elevates this blue-and-white gingham evening dress to a unexpected level of sophistication while maintaining its freshness. Description Dress: Mid-calf length; sleeveless bodice; low square neck front and back; wide shoulder strap; diagonally draped panel from front right shoulder, tucked at waist and draped asymmetrically over front skirt; narrow bias self belt at front; flared skirt, two box pleats at center back; band of lace around back to above left bust level; right side underarm zipper; back of bodice lined in white cotton batiste. Belt: Royal blue leather; ½" wide, covered D-shaped buckle. Garment structure The bias front panel of this dramatically asymmetrical design is formed and draped from a single length of fabric. Deceptively simple in appearance, it is virtuosic in the complexity of its construction. The front panel is held by a fitted demi-bodice. It falls from the right shoulder to waist-level, then is tucked and draped over the skirt front. It is seamed at either side to the flaring skirt back, which is comprised of two bias panels joined by a center back mitered seam. Made for donor. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1958.

Background Mainbocher reiterates his love of historicism by blending distinctive elements from multiple centuries. This evening dress is made from an 18th-century style Indienne (a Western version of Indian printed textiles) in a silk paisley print. Its front suggests the format of an 18th-century bodice with stomacher and bows while the cluster of deep pleats at back evokes the cascade of a late 17th-century skirt train. The fur band at the hem of the coordinating bolero adds a sumptuous counterpoint. Description Dress: Fitted stomacher bodice; square neck with wide straps, round back neck; natural waist, lower in back; full skirt, grouped knife pleats; curved back hip yoke with four standaway pleats; two self bows on bodice front, curved bottom of stomacher extends below waist seam; left side zipper closure; lined in cream silk Bolero: Above-waist length; rounded falling collar; elbow-length sleeves with split turn-back cuff; 3" wide fur border at hem; single covered button at neck; lined in cream silk faille. Garment structure The dress has a draped, fitted bodice. A single center front panel continues, unseamed, to extend below the waist as a free-floating lunette that is trimmed with two large, soft self-fabric bows. Knife pleats either side of center front control and restrict the skirt fullness. The curved back hip yoke dips to just below the base of spine where it is joined to a panel with four large standaway pleats, which extends to form a slight train. The dress is lined with silk taffeta and all seams and hems are overcast by hand. The grosgrain waist stay and zipper are hand-sewn. The short bolero jacket has a rounded turn collar and fastens at the neck with a covered button and button loop. The elbow-length sleeves are finished with split turn-back cuffs. Gift of Mr. Robert Winthrop, 1986.

Background The subtle Tyrolean folk influence of this day dress and jacket was a nod to the Viennese heritage of Tilly Losch, the Austrian dancer-choreographer for whom it was made. The jacket features a fitted, slightly dropped waistline. Description Jacket: Tyrolean style; fitted, double-breasted; slightly below waist length; round collar; long narrow sleeve; shaped appliqué at top of center front panel, repeated at bottom; grey composition buttons; black-and-cream checked cotton lining. Dress: Below-knee length; high, curved V-neck with self border; cap sleeve; straight yoke with bias band edging; bias band at slightly gathered waist; flared skirt; on-seam pockets at front princess seams, partly concealed by waist tucks; center back zipper. Garment structure The jacket features two shaped appliqués on the top and bottom of the center front panel. Working thread-finished buttonholes contribute to the symmetry of the jacket. It has a round collar which meets at center front and is lined in gingham. Belonged to Miss Losch. Gift of the Estate of Tilly Losch, Lady Carnarvon, 1976.

Background Mainbocher showed a strong group of coats and jackets in his Fall 1951 collection. This fitted, opulent but low-key jacket executed in black broadtail molds to the body with a soft flare at the waist. Description Fitted, four-button single-breasted; hip-length; open, notched wide collar; long cut-in-one sleeves with slashed turn-back cuffs; collar and cuffs trimmed with braid; cord-work buttons; lined in black satin; concealed side-entry pocket at right front edge of lining. (Photographed over 73.144.1A.) Gift of Mr. Robert Winthrop, 1986.

Background Actress Ruth Gordon received the black sari silk from which this gown was made from her friend, Vivien Leigh (Oscar-winning star of Gone with the Wind). Echoing Charles Frederick Worth’s delight in re-envisioning treasured fabrics, Mainbocher here takes inspiration from sari tradition in his draping technique. The dress was Mainbocher’s Christmas present to Gordon, a favorite client. Description Draped, sari-effect; full-length; sleeveless, one shoulder horizontally draped torso bodice; full skirt, gathered at hip; left side zipper closure; lined in peach charmeuse. Garment structure The traditional sari wrap, an unstitched, unstructured garment created at each wearing by the draping of a continuous length of textile, is here permanently accomplished in a formalized manner using haute couture techniques. Made for Ruth Gordon Gift of Caroline Rennolds Milbank, 1986.

Background Mainbocher favored a muted grey palette in his Spring 1952 collection. The neckline of the single-breasted suit jacket is cut low enough to showcase the small bow at the neck of its accompanying silk blouse. Its look would have been completed by a triple strand of pearls, a Mainbocher signature that season. Description Jacket: Worsted; four-button single-breasted; waist-length; low, narrow square neck, flared collar; cuffed elbow-length sleeve; inserted bust panel with unpressed tucks from neckline; 1¾" waistband; grey composition buttons; printed silk lining. Skirt: Worsted; flared; below-knee length; 1" waistband; single front panel with small tucks at waist; 3-gore back; left side zipper closure; lined in black silk taffeta. Blouse: Silk; fitted; short sleeve, high round neck; front asymmetrically draped into stitched tucks at left side; bias binding at neckline, small self-bow at center front neck; center back zipper closure. Garment structure Mainbocher’s mastery of line, in tandem with the use of sculptural jacket tucks, softens the firm hand of this densely woven worsted woolen fabric. The coordinating silk blouse is finished at the neck edge with a bias binding and a small bow. The same silk is used to line the jacket, a unifying amenity quoted by numerous contemporary prêt-a-porter labels. Belonged to Miss Losch. Gift of the Estate of Tilly Losch, Lady Carnarvon, 1976.