Late-1940s/early-1950s. The jacket’s nipped-in waist seems to show the influence of Christian Dior’s New Look but its structured shoulders and the narrow skirt appear to be moving away from it. The turned-back cuffs, dark gloves and pillbox hat make for a super-elegant ensemble while the bouquet of roses recalls Irving Penn’s famous shot of Lisa Fonssagrives in an evening dress by Jeanne Lafaurie. A paper label on the back reads:
5173 Suit of imported pale grey with shutter neckline Yellow roses Collor???e Attached slim skirt with slits $155.
The photo is also annotated in pencil “Irene Personal Collection.”
Irene, Montana’s Gift to Hollywood, an article in the 25 September 1951 edition of the St Louis Globe-Democrat, lists Maruja Ploss (from Costa Rica), Judy Swann (from Virginia) and Gini Adams (from California) as showroom models who have been with Irene for several years. Could Maruja be the model in this photograph?
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