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Social Sharing
Evening dress
Fall 1946
Not on view
The year 1946 marked the return of French
fashion to San Francisco when the luxury
department store I. Magnin & Company
imported the first gowns from Paris since the
outbreak of World War II (1939–1945). The
San Francisco Chronicle announced the
garments’ arrival in advance of the reopening
of the San Francisco Opera, a long-standing
and important evening event in the city’s
cultural calendar, which had been on a fiveyear
hiatus. Among the group was this formal
design by Jacques Costet. The gown is made of
rayon, a manufactured fiber initially considered
inferior to silk but which rose to popularity
during the war as silk supplies dwindled.
- Designer
- Jacques Costet
- Retailer
- I. Magnin & Company
- Title
- Evening dress
- Date
- Fall 1946
- Place of Creation
- Paris
- Object Type
- Costume
- Medium
- Synthetic and wool blend satin weave, rayon velvet, and silk ribbon
- Dimensions
- 64 9/16 x 19 11/16 in., (164 x 50 cm,)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. Leslie L. Roos
- Accession Number
- 1979.51.10
