Background The subtle Tyrolean folk influence of this day dress and jacket was a nod to the Viennese heritage of Tilly Losch, the Austrian dancer-choreographer for whom it was made. The jacket features a fitted, slightly dropped waistline. Description Jacket: Tyrolean style; fitted, double-breasted; slightly below waist length; round collar; long narrow sleeve; shaped appliqué at top of center front panel, repeated at bottom; grey composition buttons; black-and-cream checked cotton lining. Dress: Below-knee length; high, curved V-neck with self border; cap sleeve; straight yoke with bias band edging; bias band at slightly gathered waist; flared skirt; on-seam pockets at front princess seams, partly concealed by waist tucks; center back zipper. Garment structure The jacket features two shaped appliqués on the top and bottom of the center front panel. Working thread-finished buttonholes contribute to the symmetry of the jacket. It has a round collar which meets at center front and is lined in gingham. Belonged to Miss Losch. Gift of the Estate of Tilly Losch, Lady Carnarvon, 1976.

Background Mainbocher showed a strong group of coats and jackets in his Fall 1951 collection. This fitted, opulent but low-key jacket executed in black broadtail molds to the body with a soft flare at the waist. Description Fitted, four-button single-breasted; hip-length; open, notched wide collar; long cut-in-one sleeves with slashed turn-back cuffs; collar and cuffs trimmed with braid; cord-work buttons; lined in black satin; concealed side-entry pocket at right front edge of lining. (Photographed over 73.144.1A.) Gift of Mr. Robert Winthrop, 1986.

Background Actress Ruth Gordon received the black sari silk from which this gown was made from her friend, Vivien Leigh (Oscar-winning star of Gone with the Wind). Echoing Charles Frederick Worth’s delight in re-envisioning treasured fabrics, Mainbocher here takes inspiration from sari tradition in his draping technique. The dress was Mainbocher’s Christmas present to Gordon, a favorite client. Description Draped, sari-effect; full-length; sleeveless, one shoulder horizontally draped torso bodice; full skirt, gathered at hip; left side zipper closure; lined in peach charmeuse. Garment structure The traditional sari wrap, an unstitched, unstructured garment created at each wearing by the draping of a continuous length of textile, is here permanently accomplished in a formalized manner using haute couture techniques. Made for Ruth Gordon Gift of Caroline Rennolds Milbank, 1986.

Background Mainbocher favored a muted grey palette in his Spring 1952 collection. The neckline of the single-breasted suit jacket is cut low enough to showcase the small bow at the neck of its accompanying silk blouse. Its look would have been completed by a triple strand of pearls, a Mainbocher signature that season. Description Jacket: Worsted; four-button single-breasted; waist-length; low, narrow square neck, flared collar; cuffed elbow-length sleeve; inserted bust panel with unpressed tucks from neckline; 1¾" waistband; grey composition buttons; printed silk lining. Skirt: Worsted; flared; below-knee length; 1" waistband; single front panel with small tucks at waist; 3-gore back; left side zipper closure; lined in black silk taffeta. Blouse: Silk; fitted; short sleeve, high round neck; front asymmetrically draped into stitched tucks at left side; bias binding at neckline, small self-bow at center front neck; center back zipper closure. Garment structure Mainbocher’s mastery of line, in tandem with the use of sculptural jacket tucks, softens the firm hand of this densely woven worsted woolen fabric. The coordinating silk blouse is finished at the neck edge with a bias binding and a small bow. The same silk is used to line the jacket, a unifying amenity quoted by numerous contemporary prêt-a-porter labels. Belonged to Miss Losch. Gift of the Estate of Tilly Losch, Lady Carnarvon, 1976.

Background Rejecting the printed fabrics available for Spring 1952 collections, Mainbocher chose to create his own patterned fabric looks by layering, using contrasting fabrics and cutwork to create his motifs. This long-waisted silhouette with its flared skirt was typical of his short evening dresses that season. Description Below-knee length; boned, fitted bodice; sweetheart neck, edged in nude cotton net; flat spaghetti straps; hip yoke with zig-zag edge; full, circular-cut skirt panels; center back zipper closure; unlined. Garment structure The design of this dress relies on its interior construction rather than its tiny shoulder straps, which are decorative rather than functional. The bodice is built over a taffeta corselet, with a single bone and elastic stay under the bust at center front. The full, circular panels of the skirt are sewn to a yoke to reduce bulk. Gift of Mrs. C. M. Monell, 1985.

Background Surplice necklines were favored by Mainbocher in his Spring 1952 collection, one which relied on sophisticated fabric manipulation and draping rather than surface embellishment for interest. Description Wrap dress; below-knee length; dual-level surplice neckline with shawl collar, begins high and overlaps low at left front closure with large covered buttons edged in leather; bracelet-length, set-in sleeves, darted elbow; straight skirt, lightly gathered waist; skirt lined in black china silk; black grosgrain waistband. Garment structure Consistent with many couture-produced garments, this dress has been created without a full lining. Although an amenity intended as much for the wearer’s comfort as its ability to disguise seams and darts, a full lining might interfere with a garment’s flow. Mainbocher here affords priority to drape, using a china silk panel stitched to the skirt’s inner back to prevent stretching. A grosgrain waistband supports the skirt and controls the slight blouson of the bodice. Gift of Mrs. Wilda Symonds, 1985.

Background The textile chosen by Mainbocher for this short evening dress and matching bolero mimics the multi-dimensionality he earlier achieved by cutwork and layering. The complex printed and woven floral has been worked into a sophisticated cut, its seams underlining the bust from the front and plunging dramatically to below-waist level in the back. Description Dress: Strapless; below-knee length; free-floating bandeau bodice extending from diagonal waist seam, tucked at center seam, low V-back; flaring dress body cut from single fabric length, seamed on bias at center back, tucks at waist sides; tailored bow at center back waist; center back zipper closure; boned bodice liner; stiffened lining of fuchsia/gold changeable silk twill. Bolero: Slightly shorter in front with rounded corners; wide round neckline; elbow-length set-in sleeves with narrow slashed turn-back cuff; lined in violet silk crepe. Garment structure The dress bodice bias panels are seamed at the center front and shaped by folding and overlapping lower half over top, thus creating a fullness that functions as a rounded bra cup. In the process of this shaping, the front bodice panels return to the straight grain on the sides and are seamed with bias-cut half-back panels. These are joined center back with a metal zipper. The bodice is basted to a boned, cotton structural lining, which stabilizes the placement of its panels as well as offering support. The slightly flared skirt is cut in one piece with a seam at center back, and is backed with a stiff interfacing to preserve its shape. The motifs of the fabric mirror one another on both the dress bodice and bolero front panels. This placement is in contrast with the actual repeat pattern of the textile and reflects an extravagance on the part of the designer. All seams on the dress are finished with pinking instead of hand-overcast, perhaps distinguishing the ensemble as model rather than a production piece. Gift of Mrs. Wilda Symonds, 1985.