Cocktail Dress

Cocktail dress of black wool jersey knit. The late-day dress is of mid-length, with bateau (boat) neckline and short sleeves. Center back zipper with hook & eye at neckline. The fitted torso has a natural waistline with a fitted yoke from natural waist to full hip. Pleated/gathered skirt of black tissue faille begins below yoke and flares to hem. Around the waist is an attached wide faille sash which ties in front forming a bow with trailing ribbons. The bodice of the dress is lined in black and the skirt has a heavy fabric underskirt and two attached layers of net crinoline. Joint designer's and retailer's label sewn inside skirt: "Neiman-Marcus Dallas / Traina-Norell".
Date: 1954
Creator: Norell, Norman, 1900-1972
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library
Envelope for Simplicity Pattern #4650 (open access)

Envelope for Simplicity Pattern #4650

Simplicity pattern 4650 to make a one-piece dress with a fitted bodice, gored skirt, and square neckline, including illustrations of the finished pieces and information about sizing and construction on the back.
Date: 1954
Creator: Simplicity Pattern Company
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Envelope for Simplicity Pattern #4524 (open access)

Envelope for Simplicity Pattern #4524

Simplicity pattern 4524 to make a one-piece dress with patch pockets, front button closure, and sleeve and neckline variations, including illustrations of the finished pieces and information about sizing and construction on the back.
Date: 1954
Creator: Simplicity Pattern Company
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Envelope for McCall's Pattern #9756 (open access)

Envelope for McCall's Pattern #9756

Envelope for a McCall's pattern to make a misses' dress, including illustrations of the finished pieces and information about sizing and construction on the back.
Date: 1954
Creator: McCall's Pattern Company
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Envelope for Butterick Pattern #7112 (open access)

Envelope for Butterick Pattern #7112

Butterick pattern 7112 to make an afternoon to evening dress with flared skirt, square neckline, and short or long sleeves, including illustrations of the finished pieces and information about sizing and construction on the back.
Date: 1954/1955
Creator: Butterick Company
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library

Fur headband

Small headband with chinchilla fur "muff" on top and black bow as trim.
Date: 1954
Creator: Dior, Christian
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library
Envelope for Simplicity Pattern #4641 (open access)

Envelope for Simplicity Pattern #4641

Simplicity pattern 4641 to make a mother or daughter one-piece dress with wide and rounded neckline, full skirt with patch pockets, and fitted bodice with front button closure, including illustrations of the finished pieces and information about sizing and construction on the back.
Date: 1954
Creator: Simplicity Pattern Company
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Envelope for Vogue pattern #8550 (open access)

Envelope for Vogue pattern #8550

Envelope for a Vogue pattern 8500 to make a two-piece dress with slim-fitting skirt and bodice including illustrations of the finished pieces and information about sizing and construction on the back.
Date: 1954/1955
Creator: Vogue Pattern
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Envelope for Simplicity Pattern #4742 (open access)

Envelope for Simplicity Pattern #4742

Simplicity pattern 4742 to make a two-piece misses' or woman's dress with rounded neckline, front button closure, full gored skirt, and bias trim, including illustrations of the finished pieces and information about sizing and construction on the back.
Date: 1954
Creator: Simplicity Pattern Company
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Envelope for Butterick Pattern #7234 (open access)

Envelope for Butterick Pattern #7234

Butterick pattern 7234 to make a dress with raglan sleeves, including illustrations of the finished pieces and information about sizing and construction on the back.
Date: 1954/1955
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library

"Picnic" ensemble

"Picnic dress" of blue and white checkered cotton tablecloth fabric and blue cotton: A) Blue cotton jumpshorts; square neck; checkered fabric trim embellished with blue, yellow, and white embroidered flowers at neckline; adjustable straps attach with 1 button; bodice has waist and side darts; shorts have a pleat and waist darts; in-seam pockets; zipper down center back. Designer label at right side seam: "Tina Leser / Original" B) Overdress of blue and white checkered tablecloth fabric; square neck; short sleeved; bodice has waist and side darts; 5 oversize off-white hook & eyes down left side; skirt has inverted pleats; sides open; unlined; edges finished with grosgrain ribbon. Designer label at right side seam: "Tina Leser / Original" Retailer's label at center back neckline: "Ethel Jacques / Hartford, Conn."
Date: 1954
Creator: Leser, Tina
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library

Playsuit

Sportswear ensemble of pale blue and white cotton in tufted print.
Date: 1954
Creator: Brigance, Tom
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library

Cocktail Dress

Cocktail / late day dress of black silk faille. Shallow scooped neckline, short "kimono" style sleeves with wide turn-backs. Bodice seamed, and with dropped waist. Full, mid-length skirt gathers into waist. Center back zipper with hook-and-eye at collar. Inner petticoat under skirt composed of two layers, inner plain black fabric layer and outer stiffened horsehair layer. Designer's label sewn inside skirt, outside of petticoat layer: "Neiman-Marcus Dallas / Traina-Norell".
Date: 1954
Creator: Norell, Norman, 1900-1972
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library

Child's dress

Girl's/toddler's float dress of blue nylon seersucker with printed pattern of tiny pink, blue, yellow, purple and green squares. Short puffed sleeves have white ruffled lace edging. White peter pan collar of organdy has white ruffled lace edging. Dress has front yoke with smocked detail below yoke in green, blue, pink, blue and then yellow. 2" wide hem (hand hemmed). Back gathers below yoke. Closure of two white buttons at back yoke. Label: "Lilliputian Bazaar / Trade Mark / Best & Co." Tag: "Yolande"
Date: 1954
Creator: Yolande
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library

Cocktail ensemble

Evening ensemble of green and gold brocade in chrysanthemum floral design. A) Over dress in sheath style. Sleeveless; below knee length. High squared neckline. Center back zipper with hook & eye. Bodice lined in emerald green satin. B) Under dress with beige fabric upper and full length skirt of matching brocade. Skirt has slight pleated train. Unlined. Designer's label at center seam: "Irene / Exclusively for / Neiman-Marcus / Dallas" Retailer's label with designer label: "Neiman-Marcus"
Date: 1954
Creator: Lentz, Irene
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library

Wool ensemble

Skirt suit of black wool: A) Cropped jacket with 3 self-covered buttons at upper portion, and soft, rounded, notched collar; jacket opens in a crescent below buttons. Designer's label sewn inside jacket at back, below collar: "An Original Design / by / Charles James". Retailer's label is underneath designer's label: "Neiman-Marcus" B) Matching skirt; mid-length. No labels.
Date: 1954/1955
Creator: James, Charles
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library

Skirt suit

Two-piece gray wool suit.
Date: 1954
Creator: Carnegie, Hattie
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library

Hat

Hat of red straw. The low, flat-top crown slopes to base, swelling out to form a very narrow brim. The body of the hat is of a loose woven red straw overlaid with strips of woven red straw radiating from the top center of the crown. At the front of the hat is a dark red velvet bow. The interior of the hat is unlined, but the strips of straw continue under the brim, forming a self-lining. Around inside of crown at base is an inner hatband of dark red grosgrain ribbon. Attached to the inner hatband is a black elasticized cord to secure hat to wearer's head. Beneath brim towards back extend small red velvet covered metal(?) loops to help secure hat to wearer's head. Designer's label sewn inside crown: "Gilbert Orcel / Paris / Made in France. Retailer's label sewn to inner hatband: "Henri Bendel / New York"
Date: 1954
Creator: Orcel, Gilbert
Object Type: Physical Object
System: The UNT Digital Library