Woman's Dress by Hattie Carnegie

Clothing and Dress

Woman's Dress by Hattie Carnegie

ca. 1932

The dress has a handkerchief hem with eight petal shaped skirt panels; the skirt panels are not all of equal width, ranging between 17” and 24.5” at the ends of the seams.
There is a large bow at the back with 9” bow loops and tails of 15 ¾” and 25 ½” long.

This dress was given to the University of Rhode Island prior to the establishment of the Historic Textile and Costume Collection. Information concerning the donor remains incomplete. Information on the probable original owner of the dress can be found on the back of the Hattie Carnegie tag attached to a skirt seam in the dress. This marks it as made for “Mrs. W.D. Smith” with an address of “910 Fifth Ave.” The word “Capet'' and numbers “C1541” probably indicate the design/model information of the garment.

The dress is in near perfect condition, with only mild and expected fraying along some inner pinked or unfinished seams, loose threads along finished seams, and some minor tears in the delicate georgette lining of the bodice.

The garment label affixed to a seam on the proper right of the body of the dress denotes the business as Hattie Carnegie Inc., which was established in 1919, after Hattie Carnegie (1886-1956) bought out her partner Rose Roth’s share of their company. The tag is the same as one on a 1930 Skating Dress at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession number C.I.51.86.2) which reinforces the date of this dress to the 1930s.

Based on microscopic observation, the base fabric of the dress is silk with a pile made from rayon. This combination of fibers creates a transparent velvet which is very lightweight, with a soft and smooth hand and a flexible drape. The bodice is lined with a very thin and sheer georgette. The sheer fabric allows for the construction details of the dress to still be observed despite an added lining. 

This Hattie Carnegie dress has a complex pattern with many pieces and small details. The dress is cut on the bias, as was popular in the 1930s. Overall the dress has a fairly timeless appeal, but all the details, such as the sleeve and side embellishments, the large bow, the zigzag seamlines, and the handkerchief hem speak to something much more elaborate. It is well known that Hattie Carnegie took much inspiration from Madeleine Vionnet; similar design elements seen in this dress can be found in Vionnet sketches and designs. A sketch from 1922 of a dress with an imitation obi butterfly-knot similar to the large bow at the back of the Hattie Carnegie dress, and a sketch by Mary Mackinnon from September of 1920 of one of Vionnet’s favorite pieces featuring a handkerchief hem, loose bodice, and zigzag seamlines are very similar to the same elements seen in this Carnegie dress.

The dress was machine sewn, but not without flaws. The needle seems to have punched through the delicate fabric at points and there are places where it doesn’t seem to lay properly, possibly due to being laid or pinned improperly during the sewing process.

Evening gowns in this decade were often bias cut from silky or clinging fabrics to create an elegant drape; they also frequently had hems that were close to floor length with small trains on the back. Evening gowns were fitted through the waist and hips and would loosen around mid-thigh or just above the knees, flaring out to the floor. This dress being so on trend shows a clear care for current fashions and appearance from Mrs. Smith. In addition to being able to afford a likely custom Hattie Carnegie dress, Mrs. Smith was living on Fifth Avenue, which was then and remains to this day one of the wealthiest areas of New York City. Mrs. W.D. Smith and her husband were clearly a part of the New York City elite and she likely had many occasions to wear such gowns. She would have been seen as a proper and classy woman, easily establishing her wealth and rank through an on-trend gown. The tag itself labels it as “a la mode” cementing its place as a true example of fashion forward dress. 

This Hattie Carnegie dress not only remains as an example of upper class style in the 1930s, but also proves the timeless nature of certain silhouettes. It is not hard to imagine this dress being sold today for special occasions. It is simple enough to remain classic and wearable but has enough defining details to be traced back to its original era. The only true giveaway now would be the use of a hook and eye closure rather than a zipper. A woman could just as easily select this dress today to feel elegant and beautiful for a formal event as Mrs. W.D. Smith did when she originally acquired the dress.

References

“Carnegie, Hattie.” Vintage Fashion Guild, July 10, 2010. https://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/carnegie-hattie/.

Kirke, Betty. Essay. In Madeleine Vionnet, 48 and 64. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 1991.

Morse, Jeremy. “Building: 910 Fifth Avenue.” StreetEasy. Zillow Inc. Sites. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://streeteasy.com/building/910-5-avenue-new_york.

Sessions, Debbie. “What Did Women Wear in the 1930s? 1930s Fashion Guide.” Web log. Vintage Dancer (blog), April 10, 2014. https://vintagedancer.com/1930s/women-1930s-fashion/#:~:text=1930s%20Fashion%20Trends,like%20shorts%2C%20striped%20knit%20shirts.

Tortora, Phyllis G. “Figure 6.2.” Essay. In Understanding Textiles. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, 1992.

“Vintage Clothing History Guide: Zips & Zippers.” Revival Vintage. Accessed March 8, 2021. https://www.revivalvintage.co.uk/blog/post/vintage-clothing-history-guide-zips-and-zippers/%7D/#:~:text=The%20first%20type%20were%20made,more%20popular%20in%20women's%20clothing.

“Wedding Dress C.I.62.25.5.” metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/110521.

“Wedding Dress C.I.62.25.6a, b.” metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/110523.

Wingate, Isabel B. “Apparel Fabrics for Women and Children.” Essay. In Textile Fabrics and Their Selection. Fifth Edition, 428. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.

Donor: In department prior to 1951

URI 1950.01.47

Cora Staber

Hattie Carnegie, Inc.  
Paris, Palm Beach, New York