Occasion: Evening

In the nineteenth century, fashionable women had different outfits for day, afternoon, and evening, and still other outfits for particular activities. Women and men of leisure changed clothes frequently. In the 1950s, day dresses usually covered the upper arms, chest, and shoulders, while evening wear could display décolletage. This evening dress by Norman Norell with its form-fitting strapless bodice and full skirt was worn by Lauren Bacall. Vogue magazine illustrated this dress on page 132 of its February 1950 issue.