Background This long-sleeved evening dress achieves its timeless quality through Mainbocher’s smooth-fitted silhouette. Otherwise devoid of surface ornament, it relies solely on the ornate beauty of its textile and its graceful lines. Description Full-length; wide round neckline; long, narrow set-in sleeves, slightly gathered at shoulder, elbow darts, zipper wrist; shaped to natural waist with drop-waisted 2½" bias peplum; flared skirt, extending beneath bodice to natural waist, front panel cut on bias; center back zipper; lined in pink china silk; wide cream grosgrain waistband. Garment structure The dress interior is backed with a plain weave silk; a wide grosgrain waist stay is stitched in at the natural waistline. Typical of Mainbocher garments, the zipper is hand-picked with tiny running stitches. The hem edge of the flared skirt is finished with a narrow silk binding to prevent the metallic threads of the textile from fraying. The toile tape label within distinguishes this dress as the house sample model. Gift of Mrs. Wilda Symonds, 1985.

Background Mainbocher shaped Mary Martin’s costumes for her role in the original Broadway production of "The Sound of Music" to reflect her character’s unsophisticated background. This unadorned coat and dress worn in Act II is in keeping with Maria’s subdued nature and its simplicity is consistent with her home sewing skills. (Maria makes clothes for herself and the children in the musical’s first act.) The musical opened on November 16, 1959. Description Coat: A-line; below-knee length; notched collar; bracelet-length sleeve with slashed turn-back cuff; patch pockets at front hips; no closure; lined in mint green silk shantung. Dress: Fitted; below-knee length; open round neck, tie-effect V-shaped appliqué band around neckline; sleeveless; straight skirt; attached self belt with D-shaped covered buckle; center back zipper closure; lined in pea green China silk; boned foundation bodice in cream cotton twill. Garment structure A complex inner foundation is specifically constructed for the garment’s theatrical use and is constructed of an off-white tightly-woven cotton. It is sewn into the bodice and lightly boned at the center front and side seams and has a wide petersham waist stay. Its thin straps are made of fine-gauge, flesh-tone tulle. Small bust enhancers are stitched within. The dress’s self-fabric belt is sewn to the lower portion of the bodice, concealing the waist seam. It is finished with a fabric-covered non-working buckle; it actually overlaps at center back and fastens with a snap closure. The lapped zipper at center back is hand-sewn. The dress seams, hem, and foundation garment are hand-overcast finished. Designed for Mary Martin as "Maria Rainer." Gift of Mary Martin

Background Revisiting a theme he explored in 1949 for Millicent Rogers, another Best-Dressed List celebrity, Mainbocher created this straightforward interpretation of Tyrolean folk attire for Mary Martin as "Maria Rainer" in the first act of "The Sound of Music." This dress fuses ethnic-style scrolling braid with a contemporary silhouette. The musical opened on November 16, 1959. Description Semi-fitted, mid-calf length; round neck, narrow self-ruffle collar; three-quarter length sleeve, gathered cap, elasticized ruffle cuff; draped waistband; circular cut skirt, fuller in back, pleated at waist; braid in looped design centered with row of braid "buttons" on center bodice and around lower skirt; center back zipper closure; lined in grey china silk; cream grosgrain waist stay. Garment structure The dress, with its mounting neck and gentrified dirndl skirt, is hand trimmed with scrolling braid in a stylized Tyrolean design. A half circle in width, the skirt is cut with the cross-grain at center front and has a bias seam at center back. Its front is softly gathered and features a shallow, unpressed center front box pleat. From its sides, its fullness explodes toward the center back seam, and is directed by back-facing knife pleats. The draped waistband is sewn onto the dress and shirred at the center back. In the manner of a backing, the china silk linings were first darted, then applied to the wrong side of the dress and sewn into the seams. The collar and sleeve ruffles have narrow 1/8” machine-stitched hems. All seams are overcast by hand, with a ribbon band at the waist. Gift of Mary Martin, 1968.

Background Mainbocher’s clients were confident that they could justify the expense of their wardrobes by the timelessness of his designs. This mink-trimmed, box-cut satin jacket is basically the same evening essential that he produced for years, with variations revolving around fabric and trim choice rather than shape and length. The jacket would have been paired with a sleeveless dress made of a matching or similarly-textured fabric. Description Box-cut; waist-length; round neck; three-quarter length set-in sleeves with 4" wide ranch mink roll cuff; rounded patch pockets at lower front; single center-front covered button at throat on front band, bound buttonhole; body lined in fur. Garment structure The fur lining of the jacket body is repeated at sleeve end as a deep double-sided cuff roll. The sleeves are lined with silk; the rounded patch pockets are hand-sewn. The single bound buttonhole at the throat is shaped at the end so that the covered dome button will set properly. Gift of Mr. Robert Winthrop, 1986.

Background Art patron Ethel Scull collected clothes the way she and her husband, Robert, collected paintings: with an eye for innovation tempered by quality. Her eclectic wardrobe of the 1960s sampled works by virtually every important designer of the time. Although known for her avant garde tastes, she also recognized the value of classically conservative clothing. Mainbocher has here provided her with a timeless dinner suit, which conforms to his styling recipe for combining three interesting, contrasting textiles. Description Jacket: Camel wool; single-breasted, three-button; waist-length; round collar, notched lapel; bracelet-length, set-in, three-piece sleeve; inset band at chest level; 2" waistband; large camel composition buttons; lined in cream satin. Skirt: Black wool; below-knee length; lightly gathered in front to 1" waistband; left side zipper closure; lined in camel china silk. Blouse: Satin; fitted shell; high, rounded notched neck; sleeveless; godets at front and back hem; center back zipper closure; lined in white silk. Garment structure The single-breasted jacket has a decorative horizontal 2” band inset above the bust, providing an inconspicuous means of lightly fitting the jacket to the body. The jacket tapers to fit the waist, which is defined by a band of the same dimension as bust. The bound buttonholes are shaped at the ends so that the buttons will set properly when fastened. The three-panel below-knee length skirt flares lightly at the hem. The skirt is flat-lined, the silk and wool joined by machine-stitching. The hem is hand-finished. Deceptively simple, the blouse has inset godets at front and back hip level to create fullness. A horizontal pinched tuck defines the front waistline and ensures that it will lie flat. The center back zipper is hand-sewn and extends below the hemline for ease of wear. The lower edge is machine-stitched and left raw to avoid bulk. Gift of Ethel Scull, 1976.

Background Mainbocher’s Spring 1962 collection featured some of his signatures: cropped jackets, applied scrolling, raised waistlines and full, flared and pleated skirts. Once again setting the standard rather than following it, his use of these elements was widely quoted by other designers that season. The ensemble was photographed for the February 16, 1962, "New York Journal-American." Description Dress: Below-knee length; open round neck; sleeveless; slightly gathered into 2" waistband; flared skirt with deep overlapping pleats at front; left side and center back bodice zipper closures; looped quatrefoil self appliqué at center front bodice; lined in cream silk twill. Jacket: Box-cut, double breasted; above-waist length; notched lapel; three-quarter length set-in sleeves; looped quatrefoil self appliqué on front bodice; black composition buttons; lined in heavy white silk. Garment structure The lightly fitted bodice is joined to the skirt with a 1¾” inset band. The A-shaped skirt is comprised of a single-width front panel the features a large central unpressed box pleat that is framed and surmounted by two side pleats that continue around the hip to seam with two sloped back panels. The left side zipper is held in place by a 3” grosgrain waistband and closes over two smaller grosgrain tabs positioned to hook at a slightly smaller dimension than the zipped dress itself (to prevent straining the zipper). A second zipper is positioned at bodice center back from waistband to neck. Trapeze-like in its boxy shape, the jacket stands away from the dress body. Its hem appears unpressed but is actually padded with lamb’s wool to maintain a soft look for the life of the garment. The appliqué appears on jacket and dress and is appropriately proportioned to each. Rather than being fashioned from a single unbroken bias strip, the loops of the motif are cut in four sections. The joining seams are hidden under the overlapping sections of the loops. Gift of Mrs. Joseph P. Binns, 1975.

Background This gown was commissioned by ballerina Vera Zorina for the title role of Igor Stravinsky’s "Persephone." The musical drama was performed at Lincoln Center’s newly opened Philharmonic Hall with the Concert Opera Organization, and premiered October 23, 1962. Mainbocher’s design for Zorina was noted a day earlier in Eugenia Sheppard’s “In Fashion” column in the "New York Herald Tribune." Description Full-length; fitted bodice with raised waistline; deep front U-neck, ¾" shoulder straps, camisole back; chiffon panels shirred at side seams form mock sash under bust, knotted at left front with trailing streamer; very full, double-layer skirt in nine quarter-circle gores; wide floating panels on either side of center back zipper closure; bodice backed in matching satin-back crepe; five-gore satin-back crepe underskirt; bodice lined in cream china silk; cream grosgrain boned foundation bodice. Garment structure The chiffon mock sash is shirred at the ends and hand stitched to the bodice side seams. Unlike many gowns, the dress has a boned demi-foundation only under the bust rather than a full corselet. It is made of wide grosgrain and has a fabric stay at the upper edge that enables it to more closely fit the body. The neckline front has a similar stay to prevent gaping. The bodice is hand-sewn to the full, double-layer skirt. It is comprised of an outer layer of nine quarter-circle gores and a seven-gore inner layer. Wide floating panels flank either side of the center back zipper. The gown’s underskirt is constructed of five satin-back crepe gores. All skirt hems are hand-rolled. Gift of Vera Zorina, 1990.