Background While Dior marked the return to peacetime and its bountiful fabric supplies with his 1947 “New Look,” Mainbocher produced his own elegant collection by draping luxe fabrics into tiers, layers, flares, and folds. Unlike Dior, his shapes and volume were accomplished without the addition of inner corsets, waist cinchers, or mounded crinolines. The tiered flounces on this dress from his Fall 1947 collection exemplify his technical ease and minimal inner construction. Description Below-knee length; high round neck; three-quarter length set-in sleeves; slightly blouson bodice gathered into sweetheart-effect shoulder yoke; ¾" attached belt; three tiers of flounces on front skirt; circular-cut, flared bias back gores; narrow crescent-shaped collar along front neckline; left side in-seam zipper and back neck zipper closures. Garment structure This hem returns to a pre-war, below-knee length. The slightly blouson bodice has a high round neck with a narrow crescent-shaped collar along the front neckline. The bodice is lightly shaped with soft shirring from a sweetheart-effect shoulder yoke and has three-quarter length set-in sleeves. The three skirt flounces are circular cut. The top layer is sewn into the waist seam and hidden by the narrow belt. The two lower tiers are sewn to the surface of the underskirt by hand. The dress has two zipper closures: one at the left side in-seam and one at the back neck in a slit. Made by Mainbocher for donor. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1958.

Background The wool of this suit conforms to the subdued palette of Mainbocher’s Spring 1948 collection. The skirt’s six gores create fullness without bulk and the suit’s two blouses, in periwinkle blue silk and blue-and-white checked cotton, coordinate with both the blue-grey colored wool and the grey silk jacket lining. Description Jacket: Wool; fitted, five-button, single-breasted; hip-length; V-neck; rounded notched collar with lapel cut-in-one with front of jacket; long set-in sleeves; fishtail reverse appliqué at sides of front neck; fishtail appliqué band at wrists; grey composition buttons; lined in grey china silk. Skirt: Wool; flared six-gore; below-knee length; 1" waistband; hip yoke; left side zipper closure, flared gores. Blouse: Silk surah; high neck with cowl bib collar; short sleeve; grouped tucks at waist; shield-shaped applique at chest; center back snap closure; white grosgrain waist tape. Blouse: Cotton; fitted; short-sleeve, slightly gathered at cap; high round neck; mock placket with self-covered buttons and serrated flange; grouped tucks at waist; bias binding at neck and sleeve; center back snap closure. Garment structure This versatile suit has two blouses—a casual cotton for country or more relaxed wear and a more formal silk. The fitted jacket has princess seams from the arms and an unusual round notched collar. Single-breasted, it fastens at center front with handmade buttonholes and composition buttons. It is embellished with reverse appliqués in a fishtail motif and hand-lined in china silk. The below-knee length flared six-gore skirt has a 1” waistband with darted hip yoke for a smooth fit. It fastens on the left side with a handsewn zipper. Made for donor. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1958.

Background Critically celebrated during the 1930s for his transformation of humble fabrics into haute couture masterworks, Mainbocher again filled his Spring 1948 collection with pretty dresses made from fresh-colored ginghams. This summer dinner dress and jacket demonstrate his technique of layering two different textiles—here, gingham and sheer lace—visually melding them into a third richer fabric. Description Dress: Mid-calf length; fitted bodice; sweetheart neck front and back; ¾" attached self belt at natural waist; hip yoke; full, bias-cut, four-gore skirt; left side zipper. Jacket: Semi-fitted; waist-length; rounded, notched lapel; three-quarter length sleeve; three-button center front closure, black composition buttons, bound buttonholes; lined in white silk crepe. Garment structure In this dress Mainbocher relies solely on fabric manipulation for shape, eliminating the need for backing, lining or inner structure. The edges are finished with simple, narrow chiffon facings, the interior raw edges with hand overcasting. The fitted bodice has a front and back sweetheart neckline. The lace has been cut and appliquéd to fit seamlessly, eliminating sharp seam and dart lines. The left side seam zipper is hand sewn. A narrow self-fabric belt covers the waist seam and fastens with a hook and eye on the left side. Cut slightly shorter than the actual waistline, a grosgrain stay anchors the dress at the waist, eliminating stress on the zipper. The bias-cut mid-calf length skirt has four-gores and a yoke, creating a smooth line below the lace and a soft drape, facilitating mobility. Worn by donor. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1973.

Background Mainbocher was asked to modernize the uniforms for the Girl Scouts of America, whose look had constantly changed and fragmented into disparate age categories over the previous 20 years. The designer sought to create a uniform that would instill dignity and unity in Scouts at all levels, from the intermediate girls up to the troop leaders. The resulting forest green heathered twill shirtdress—which would have been worn with a dark green web belt—was neat, streamlined, and in Mainbocher’s opinion, appropriate to the Scouts’ public visibility. Description Shirtdress; semi-fitted; below-knee length; notched button-down collar; long set-in sleeve, single-button band cuff; flared skirt; inset side panel of bodice shirred at chest and waist; green composition insignia buttons; shoulder yoke and side vents on back bodice; patch pockets with flap edge at left chest and hips. Garment structure A mass-produced rather than couture-finished garment, this semi-fitted, single-breasted shirtdress has machine-stitching at the hem, collar, and cuffs and raw, pinked seams. Gift of Caroline Rennolds Milbank, 2001.

Background Mainbocher excelled at creating flexible designs that could move fluidly from late afternoon to evening events for his socially active clients. This glen plaid silk, shot with metallic threads, was perfect for the cocktail hour and would shimmer like powdered gold in the soft evening light of a theater, café, or club. Description Stylized shirtwaist dress; below-knee length; sleeveless bias-cut bodice; round neck; extended shoulder; mock center front closure with small self-covered buttons; flared bias-cut skirt; rear wrap closure, self-covered buttons at left hip; attached narrow bias belt; bias trim bands at center front bodice, princess waist seams, neck, and armholes; unlined; white grosgrain waist tape. Garment structure The shoulder line is slightly extended to create a small cap sleeve. The bodice is trimmed with bias bands at the neck edge and the armholes. Additional vertical bias-strips are applied to the bodice and skirt with an attached bias belt at the waist. The skirt has a wrap closure that fastens on the left hip with button loops and self-covered buttons. Worn by donor. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1973.

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.