Circa 1950-1955

United States

Black silk faille cocktail dress by Pauline Trigère, a rare American couture label dating from the early 1950s. The dress is cut with a sleeveless, curved bustier and three draped pleats at the neckline, forming a plunging V-shaped neckline at the back. A hipster overskirt tilts at the back to create a mini-skirt effect. The front reveals a straight sheath underskirt. Zip and hook fastenings at back. No lining but inner waistband in black grosgrain woven in red with Pauline Trigère logo. A tie belt in gold thread cord trimmings. No visible flaws. Clean and wearable dress. Very good colour and condition.

Dimensions: Equivalent size 39- 40 France. Shoulders 55 cm, waist 73 cm, chest 96 cm, hips 130 cm, front height 96 cm, back height 120 cm.

Pauline Trigère, (1908 -2002) in New York, was a French-born American fashion designer renowned for her clean, slim cuts, coats and capes, and more generally for her innovative ideas in American tailoring. She worked as a cutting trainee at the ‘Martial et Armand’ boutique on Place Vendôme in Paris. Then she met the American stylist Adele Simpson, who told her all about the wonders of the New York fashion world. In 1937, aged 25, she moved to the United States, where she first found work at Ben Gerschel, before later becoming a stylist-assistant designer at Che