Norman Norell Black dress with crystal buttons
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Norman Norell Black dress with crystal buttons
About the Item
Dramatic large crystal buttons up the side
Bust 40"
Sleeve 22"
The Norell collection of Beverly Bettner
This remarkable collection of over 150 ensembles by Norman Norell reflect both the unerring tailoring of Norell, but also the curatorial eye of a great collector.
Beverley Blettner has long been one of Chicago’s style icons, and major philanthropist’s.
The collection dates from the late 50’s through his final collection, Resort 1972.
Norman Norell learned his tailoring at the side of Hattie Carnegie, who he accompanied on her Paris Buying trips, beginning in the 1930’s.
With his superb precision tailoring, Norell’s genius lies in what to leave off.
Strict simplicity with laser focused tailoring, and simple embellishments where his signature.
Bold buttons, belts and scarves gave his creations their DNA.
With luxurious fabrics sourced from the finest mills in Europe, and mastery of his craft, Norell elevated American Ready to wear to the level of French Couture.
His clothing was a bridge from the Couture to the RTW.
All of the signature hallmarks of Norell are spotlighted in this collection; bold buttons, bright colors, sheath dresses. Military coats and jackets, multi piece suiting, matching belts, awning stripes, pussycat bows, and Nautical & Sailor themes.
The clever use of buttons is one of Norell’s signatures, and all the buttons are working with hand finished buttonholes and hand tucked detailing.
The bold coloring in this collection is what Norell referred to as his ice cream palette.
Bold bright color of the 60’s and 70’s rendered with a clear and concise point of view that remained focused throughout his career.
This collection illustrates why well-dressed ladies coveted Norell. His fashion was amongst the most expensive in the US (one of his embellished evening looks sold for over $5000 in 1972), but his clients could wear it for years.
Many of these pieces where the showroom or runway samples.
He cut his samples to sz 8.
These feature the models names, and style numbers; many are from Denise Linden , Norell’s house model and muse for many years.
Please note, these Norell’s are on average fifty years old.
The weight of the fabric is a bit heavier than what is used today, and the armholes might be cut higher than today’s fashions.
Reinforcing the buttons would also be wise before wearing, they were sewn on a half century ago.
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 8-10 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Wool, lined in silk
- Condition:Great, considerable rhinestones missing.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: AU11081723455
Norman Norell
The signature details that characterize vintage Norman Norell evening dresses include classically tailored silhouettes, feminine round necklines and tenderly applied beading, carefully inspected both inside and out. Pop culture icon Marilyn Monroe wore many of Norell’s classic dresses over the years. And as a young model for a Seventh Avenue clothing manufacturer, screen siren Lauren Bacall liked to scour the racks of Loehmann’s with her mother, looking for the odd piece by a famous designer like Norell.
Norell began his career in his early 20s, designing costumes for Paramount Pictures and Brooks Costume Company, as well as for esoteric vaudeville productions. The theater remained a major source of inspiration throughout his career. Often drenched in beads or sequins, a material that remained readily available despite wartime restrictions, his show-stopping mermaid gowns, a marriage of glitz and simplicity, harken back to the days of vaudeville. He continued to design these gowns until the end of his life.
Raised in a family of haberdashers, Norell was long-influenced by the cuts, fabrics and details of traditional menswear, and he sought to incorporate those concepts into his designs. In 1960, at a moment when women were not yet wearing pants to work, he made waves when he presented his then-controversial wool flannel culotte suit. Some years later, he designed a black dinner suit with a bow-tie, beating Yves Saint Laurent to the punch, and later still, he conceived a feminine version of an aviator jumpsuit.
A creature of habit, Norell stuck with many of his classic designs throughout his career, but he continued to experiment with avant-garde ideas for evening garments. This was perhaps most vividly expressed in his wild coats, runway crowd-pleasers adorned with ostrich feathers or massive red and pink flowers.
A fan of a full dirndl, Norell made skirts that ranged from delicately creased to voluminous balloons, and he frequently paired these with pleated blouses or tight turtlenecks. One of the first designers to incorporate traditional elements of sportswear into his evening attire, a typical Norell evening gown was divided into three separate colors: one for the top, one for the skirt and one for the sash. And vintage Norman Norell gowns are inherently versatile — they’re as modern today as they were decades ago. The little black dresses that Norell designed offered similar flexibility. Perfectly simple and sexy are the round necklines, which Norell introduced to declutter his dresses and allow for a more modern look.
Norell was the first American designer to have his name on a dress label and on a successful fragrance. He possessed a refined elegance and a quiet audacity that he expressed through timeless, wearable pieces boldly embellished with luxe trimmings. His work would come to redefine the American ready-to-wear industry and earn him the nickname the “American Balenciaga.” He received the inaugural Coty Award for womenswear and was the first designer inducted into the fashion industry critics’ hall of fame.
Find vintage Norman Norell day dresses, suits, jackets and other clothing on 1stDibs.
