Pink 1950's Formal Dress

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Pink 1950’s Formal Dress
#VC2011008

worn in 1956
silk, ostrich feathers, metal fastenings
Designer: Edward Abbott
Gift of Laurie McDonald Meigs ’56

Worn by Laurie McDonald (Meigs) ’56 at her rehearsal dinner, this dress is representative of the vast differences between the clothes worn on campus and the clothes worn for socializing by students during this decade. An Edward Abbott creation, it is a perfect example of midcentury cocktail and formal wear: figure skimming cut, modest straps (no brassiere to be seen), glamorous silk fabric, nipped-waist and midlength skirt (as per Dior’s decree), with feather embellishment. It is also indicative of the 1950s tradition of marrying early; this was worn just a few months after Ms. Meigs’ graduation.