Dress designed by Ann Lowe

Object Details

Designed by

Ann Lowe, American, 1898 - 1981

Worn by

Nora Francke Cammann, American, 1932 - 2014

Subject of

Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007

Description

Pale yellow and chartreuse silk taffeta gown designed by Ann Lowe. The dress is strapless with an attached off-the-shoulder strap. It has a fitted bodice to the natural waist and a full skirt with an asymmetrical hemline. The skirt trails on the floor at the proper right side, and is shorter on the proper left side ending near the ankle. A panel of the taffeta is gathered and pleated to form the shoulder strap, which is attached at the proper left front bodice under a vertical strip of the taffeta that also serves to gather up a separate panel of pleated taffeta that is attached around the top edge of the bodice. A pre-tied self-fabric bow lined in chartreuse taffeta is sewn at the center back of the shoulder strap, which attaches to the center back of the bodice with two (2) hooks corresponding to eyes on either back side of the bodice. The waistband of the dress is made from a wide pleated piece of the yellow taffeta with an over-sized pre-tied bow attached at the proper left front side. The bow has long tails, with the loops and tails lined in the chartreuse taffeta. The skirt is pleated around the waistband for fullness. The bottom ten (10) inches of the skirt is lined with the chartreuse, which shows on the facing side within the cascading folds of the asymmetric skirt. The dress closes at the center back with a zipper and one (1) hook-and-eye.

The interior bodice is lined in pale yellow silk faille with boning sewn around the bodice. There is a cream ribbon sewn as an interior waistband that closes at the center back with two (2) hook-and-eyes. There is an attached petticoat made from the yellow faille. It attaches separately with one (1) snap and one (1) hook-and-eye at the center back underneath the exterior zipper closure. Cream ribbon hanger loops are sewn at each interior side of the bodice. There are no labels.

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane

1950

Object number

2007.3.26

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Type

dresses

Medium

silk taffeta, silk faille, and metal fasteners

Dimensions

H x W (flat): 56 1/2 × 25 in. (143.5 × 63.5 cm)

Place made

New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Collection title

Black Fashion Museum Collection

Classification

Clothing - Fashion and Historical

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic

African American

Clothing and dress

Design

Fashion

Fashion design

Social life and customs

Women

Record ID

nmaahc_2007.3.26

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f341eb86-8dd5-4bd8-88de-51983a925c7f