👋 A B O U T

There are party dresses, and then there is this!  An absolutely divine circa 1955 confection from Carrie Munn New York, rendered in the softest petal pink linen and finished with such painstaking handwork that it reads less as a dress than as a wearable work of art. The sweetheart neckline is framed by an elaborate border of cream soutache braid and dangling bead drops — a motif that then sweeps across the full circle skirt in swooping garland formations, each arc punctuated by more bead drops that seem to hang suspended mid-air. The silhouette is pure mid-decade fantasy: nipped waist, short cap sleeves, and a skirt so voluminous it holds its shape through a stiff pellon lining, with a zip-front closure keeping the facade clean and uninterrupted. The construction throughout is exceptional. In overall excellent condition, freshly dry cleaned and ready to wear. 

*Carrie Munn (1898–1984) was that rare figure in American fashion: a self-taught designer whose clientele came from the very top of New York society. Born Caroline Neunder in Buffalo, she opened her first dress shop in New York City in 1920  before establishing her Madison Avenue atelier at 640 Madison in 1942, where she created custom couture for women throughout the 1940s and ’50s.  She hosted legendary fashion parties at the Waldorf-Astoria to showcase her designs to socialites and celebrities, often modeling her creations herself.  Her signature silhouette — every bodice moulded close to the figure with a tiny waist — was so consistent that a reviewer of her Fall 1952 collection wrote: “Do not expect limp sheaths or shirtwaist types from this designer.”  She appeared on the International Best Dressed List four times between 1947 and 1953.  Today her work is held in the permanent collections of The Henry Ford Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

✂️ M E A S U R E M E N T S

Bust: up to 34"
Waist: 26 up to 27" 
Hips: open
Total Length: 45"

Fits like a small

Label: Carrie Munn, New York   
Material: imported linen, silk lining, pellon lined skirt 
Condition: overall excellent, freshly dry cleaned and ready to wear. Minor signs of wear typical of age. Missing a few dingle dangles and very faint discoloration to the some of the soutache and dingle balls. Only noticed upon close inspection. 

All of our pieces are thoroughly inspected and repaired by our in house professional seamstress prior to shipping to ensure your garment is in ready to wear condition upon arrival. 

*Please compare measurements to a garment you currently own to ensure proper fit! Please note: most of our pieces are clipped to fit our dress forms (bust: 34" waist: 23")



💖 F O L L O W

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