Prom Dress

Description:

Hand-sewn by the wearer for her senior prom in South Texas, this dress reflects middle-class attempts to imitate the grandeur of debutante balls. Starting out as college rituals at the turn of the 20th century, proms worked their way down to high schools and became more expensive during the prosperous 1950s. This dress was made in 1965, despite the counterculture of the 1960s showing a slight decline in the prom's popularity.

This dress is full-length and made of rose-colored, satin-like fabric. A darker pink machine-made lace with a floral patter covers the front and back of the bodice. The front of the lace is decorated with scattered three- point stars made of sewn-on oblong pearls with a smaller, round pearl in the center. These smaller pearls are also randomly applied throughout the bodice, though many are now missing. The bodice has two darts in the back and four in the front, with two coming up from the waist; the others form under the arms toward the breast area. An undecorated skirt is attached, flared, and gathered at the waist. It is made of two large panels seamed on the sides. The entire dress is lined in pale pink synthetic fabric. A metal zipper on the center back fastens the dress, and a hook-and-eye closure is at the top neckline.

Date Made: 1965

Maker: Cantu, Norma E.

Location: Currently not on view

Place Made: United States: Texas, LaredoWorn: United States: Texas

Web Subject: Costume

Subject:

See more items in: Home and Community Life: Costume, Clothing & Accessories, American Enterprise

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Credit Line: Gift of Norma Cantu

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 2013.0178.01Catalog Number: 2013.0178.01Accession Number: 2013.0178

Object Name: dress, 1-pieceObject Type: DressWomanEntire Body

Physical Description: synthetic fibers (lining fabric material)metal (zipper material)synthetic fibers (dress fabric material)metal (eye material)metal (hook material)Measurements: chest width: 18 in; 45.72 cmcenter back from neckline to hem: 51 1/2 in; 130.81 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ad-ec83-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_1448951

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