Ball gown from Worth
Late 19th-century haute couture: heavy silk brocades, puffed sleeves and a narrow waist.
The house of Worth dressed the courts of Europe and American millionaire families. After Charles Frederick Worth’s death in 1895 it was run by his sons. Gowns are in the Metropolitan Museum, the Musée Galliera and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Materials: Silk velvet and brocade, often woven specially in Lyon
Manufacture: Made to measure in Worth’s Paris salon, often from cloths woven with patterns placed to fit the gown.
The pattern following the lines of the gown – the cloth was woven for this model.
The woven label C. Worth in the waistband.