#2647 $1,250 Sold
B. Altman beaded gold lamé evening dress, c.1915
This sophisticated black-and-gold creation was the height of upper-class fashion in its day. With its luxe textiles and graphic, asymmetrical design, the dazzling dress has a powerful presence. As Yves Saint Laurent put it, "Fashions fade; style is eternal."
The outer layer of black silk tulle is sculpted with asymmetrical draping and floats over a straight gold lamé under dress. The layers are attached at the bodice and empire waist. The bodice is backed with cream-colored cotton tulle and is attached to a wide petersham. The dress closes in back with hooks and snaps.
The bodice is decorated with wide panels of black glass beads, beaded shoulder straps, and beaded hanging tassels. The sleeves can be worn dropped below the shoulders or worn on the shoulders. The skirt has horizontal rows of black beads as well as a spectacular beaded hem border of large "diamonds."
New York department store B. Altman catered to the carriage trade during the Gilded Age, when Mrs. Caroline Astor decided who qualified for society's inner circle. The new rich were excluded from her official list of 400, the original "social register." (Her ballroom accommodated 400 guests.)
If you had been invited to Mrs. Astor home, you had to dress the part. You could take a trip to Paris to stock up on the latest fashions. Your other choice was B. Altman for an evening dress like our brilliant gold lamé gown.
The condition is almost excellent. The hem border has a few well done mends; and the underarms are stained on the inside only. These minor flaws, which are barely visible, do not spoil the appearance of the dress.
It measures: 38" bust, 30" high waist, 42" hip and 59" from shoulder to hem.
