CT004008 – Evening Dress, Charles James, 1938

Part of the One Minute Wonders trail, a story written by one of our volunteers, inspired by objects on display.

By Alex Alexander

What strikes you most about this dress? Is it the black against the white? The coarse lace against the smooth silky satin? Or the soft, black, velvet bows?

Or is it that this evening gown has been preserved in near-perfect condition, since it was worn over 80 years ago?

Owned by Anne Parsons, Countess of Rosse (nee Messel, Armstrong-Jones), this evening dress was designed by Charles James, and was featured in Vogue in May 1938.

A fashionable socialite, Anne attended the coronations of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, and her son, Antony Armstrong-Jones, married Princess Margaret.

Anne was a curator of fashion, preserving her clothes for later generations to enjoy, and is known to have attached little paper notes to each item.