Background Mainbocher’s Spring 1962 collection featured some of his signatures: cropped jackets, applied scrolling, raised waistlines and full, flared and pleated skirts. Once again setting the standard rather than following it, his use of these elements was widely quoted by other designers that season. The ensemble was photographed for the February 16, 1962, "New York Journal-American." Description Dress: Below-knee length; open round neck; sleeveless; slightly gathered into 2" waistband; flared skirt with deep overlapping pleats at front; left side and center back bodice zipper closures; looped quatrefoil self appliqué at center front bodice; lined in cream silk twill. Jacket: Box-cut, double breasted; above-waist length; notched lapel; three-quarter length set-in sleeves; looped quatrefoil self appliqué on front bodice; black composition buttons; lined in heavy white silk. Garment structure The lightly fitted bodice is joined to the skirt with a 1¾” inset band. The A-shaped skirt is comprised of a single-width front panel the features a large central unpressed box pleat that is framed and surmounted by two side pleats that continue around the hip to seam with two sloped back panels. The left side zipper is held in place by a 3” grosgrain waistband and closes over two smaller grosgrain tabs positioned to hook at a slightly smaller dimension than the zipped dress itself (to prevent straining the zipper). A second zipper is positioned at bodice center back from waistband to neck. Trapeze-like in its boxy shape, the jacket stands away from the dress body. Its hem appears unpressed but is actually padded with lamb’s wool to maintain a soft look for the life of the garment. The appliqué appears on jacket and dress and is appropriately proportioned to each. Rather than being fashioned from a single unbroken bias strip, the loops of the motif are cut in four sections. The joining seams are hidden under the overlapping sections of the loops. Gift of Mrs. Joseph P. Binns, 1975.

Background This gown was commissioned by ballerina Vera Zorina for the title role of Igor Stravinsky’s "Persephone." The musical drama was performed at Lincoln Center’s newly opened Philharmonic Hall with the Concert Opera Organization, and premiered October 23, 1962. Mainbocher’s design for Zorina was noted a day earlier in Eugenia Sheppard’s “In Fashion” column in the "New York Herald Tribune." Description Full-length; fitted bodice with raised waistline; deep front U-neck, ¾" shoulder straps, camisole back; chiffon panels shirred at side seams form mock sash under bust, knotted at left front with trailing streamer; very full, double-layer skirt in nine quarter-circle gores; wide floating panels on either side of center back zipper closure; bodice backed in matching satin-back crepe; five-gore satin-back crepe underskirt; bodice lined in cream china silk; cream grosgrain boned foundation bodice. Garment structure The chiffon mock sash is shirred at the ends and hand stitched to the bodice side seams. Unlike many gowns, the dress has a boned demi-foundation only under the bust rather than a full corselet. It is made of wide grosgrain and has a fabric stay at the upper edge that enables it to more closely fit the body. The neckline front has a similar stay to prevent gaping. The bodice is hand-sewn to the full, double-layer skirt. It is comprised of an outer layer of nine quarter-circle gores and a seven-gore inner layer. Wide floating panels flank either side of the center back zipper. The gown’s underskirt is constructed of five satin-back crepe gores. All skirt hems are hand-rolled. Gift of Vera Zorina, 1990.

Background This extravagant gown stands as an interesting departure from its designer’s standard creative process. Although the bodice is pure Mainbocher in its simplicity and floral chiné, the skirt is a line-for-line, color-for-color nod to one published in the January 1, 1942, issue of "Vogue" and credited to Germaine Monteil. The circumstances behind the gown’s creation are unclear—it was perhaps made as a sentimental reinterpretation of an original garment owned by a favored client. Interestingly, a faded moss green panel, located in the skirt’s center back appears to be made from a chiffon of much earlier production. Description Floor-length; fitted taffeta bodice; wide scoop neck; elbow-length kimono sleeve; set-in side bodice panels; attached narrow self belt with tailored bow hooking at left front; parti-colored 17-gore circular-cut chiffon skirt; slightly trained at back; center back zipper closure; bodice lined in white china silk; two underskirts, one yellow chiffon, one peach satin-back crepe; grosgrain waistband. Garment structure The fitted bodice has a wide scoop neck with set-in side panels and elbow-length kimono sleeves. The self-fabric belt is sewn to the dress and fastens at the side front with a tailored half-bow. The bow is made from a single fabric piece wrapped around a length of grosgrain and finished by hand. The bodice has a plain weave silk backing. The center back zipper is hand-sewn through the bodice and first underskirt; the top skirt fastens with snaps over the zipper. The opulent skirt of this evening gown incorporates almost 25 yards of silk chiffon. Fabricated with 17 quarter-circle panels in pink, orange, yellow, green, and red, it measures 112 feet at the hemline and has a slight train finished with a machine-stitched picot edge. It has two underskirts: one in yellow chiffon with a circular cut and a slightly flared one in peach-colored, satin-back crepe. The skirts are supported by a grosgrain waist stay. Gift of Mrs. Wilda Symonds, 1985.

Background Mainbocher has here decided to soften the columnar effect created by clustering overlapping box pleats by allowing them to fall unpressed. He persists in his fondness for applied self-jewelry as a dressing shortcut, embellishing the front of this damask gown with a complementarily colored rhinestone brooch. Description Full-length; sleeveless; wide round neckline; natural waist; velvet mock sash, horizontally pleated, bow knot at center front; full skirt with deep spaced and overlapped box pleats; large rhinestone cluster at chest; left side and center back bodice zipper closures; lined in rose china silk; white grosgrain waistband. Garment structure The dress incorporates both a full-length left side zipper as well as a waist-length, center back zipper. The latter allows for additional ease in slipping the garment on and off over the bust. An inner grosgrain waist stay closes at a slightly tighter dimension than the dress itself, eliminating stress on the zipper. Backed with china silk, the dress is finished with silk bindings on the edges of the facings and overcasting on the seams. Gift of Mr. Robert Winthrop, 1986.

Background Fashion reporters marveled at the large selection of luxury fabrics Mainbocher used to craft his Fall 1963 collection. In his use of this outsized floral patterned velvet, the designer evokes a device popularized by Maison Worth almost a century earlier. This simple creation, made for Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III, makes a monumental statement through the pairing of its wearer’s stature and its grand-scale motif. Description Full-length; high round neck, deep narrow square in back; sleeveless; natural waist, slightly gathered; attached ¾"-wide self belt; flared skirt, wide box pleat at back waist, pieced at lower side seams; attached ¾"-wide self belt; left side zipper; bodice lined in pink taffeta; skirt faced with sized silk gauze. Garment structure The flared skirt has been slightly altered at the waist from its original configuration of wide-set box pleat at both center front and back, partially substituting random shirring for the original left-hand pleat. The waist seam is concealed by an attached self-fabric belt which hooks closed over the left side zipper. The dress has unusually wide seam allowances that serve to support the breadth of the skirt. Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, 1983.

Background Mainbocher rejected the psychedelic look of mid-1960s fashions. Remaining consistent with his own design philosophy, he maintained his enduring fad-free style, showcasing as many of each season’s splendid textiles in classic silhouettes, such as this long evening dress made of gold metallic matelassé. Description Full-length; sleeveless; wide round neck; natural waist; applied kite-shaped stomacher panel overlapping waist seam; ¾" attached self-belt with concealed side closure; straight skirt, slightly gathered at waist; center front hem vent to knee level; center back zipper closure; lined in cream silk crepe. Garment structure As beautifully finished on the inside as it is on the outside, the dress is lined with cream-colored silk crepe to the neck and armhole edges. The seams are finished with silk bindings or turned-under edges, preventative treatments against any potential irritation that might be caused by the metallic threads of the textile. Gift of Mr. Robert Winthrop, 1986.

Background From a fall collection dominated by modern, casual outerwear for evening, this cashmere twill ensemble is ornamented only by large mother-of-pearl buttons and teamed with a sleeveless blouse of color-matched lace. It was made for Barbara (Babe) Paley, a perennial member of the Best-Dressed List and Hall of Fame. A photograph of her wearing this ensemble appeared the next day in newspapers around the country. Description Skirt Beige twill; full-length, lightly flared, lightly gathered into waistband; center back zipper closure; lined in camel china silk. Jacket Cream twill; semi-fitted; hip-length; square collar; bracelet-length sleeves; horizontal seam across bust; flap pockets at front hips; stylized, decorative epaulets; four oversized mother-of-pearl buttons. Blouse Cream lace over crepe; fitted shell; sleeveless; high round neck; godets at hem; center back zipper closure. Garment structure The jacket epitomizes the art of haute couture construction. The square collar is hand padded and fell-stitched to the jacket body; the non-working pocket flaps and decorative epaulets are invisibly hand applied. The seam across the bust serves two purposes—design interest as well as an inconspicuous fitting element. The set-in sleeves are bracelet length, the bound buttonholes shaped at the end so that the mother-of-pearl button will set in the buttonhole without shifting. The plain weave silk lining is hand sewn at all edges and the armholes. The skirt is cut from one fabric length, joined with a center back seam. The waistband is faced with silk crepe to reduce bulk. All edges are hand sewn and the center front is marked with cross-stitches. The center back zipper laps right over left in the French manner and the opening is stabilized with seam binding. It is hand sewn with running stitches and again at the edges with fell stitches to prevent the tape from curling. The three hooks and eyes of the overlapping closure are sewn with blanket stitches. The seams are overcast by hand. The blouse is inset with four godets extending from waist to hem to accommodate hip dimension. The center back zipper extends below the shell hemline to allow the wearer to step into the garment. The inner seams are clipped and the corners trimmed to enable them to lie flat. All edges are hand-overcast finished. Worn by the donor at the opening New York gala for the film premiere of the musical "My Fair Lady," October 21, 1964. Gift of Mrs. William S. Paley.