{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O110003"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O110003/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AT8216/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AT8216/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AT8216","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Cristóbal Balenciaga","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AT8215","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Cristóbal Balenciaga","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2016JD8681","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O110003","accessionNumber":"T.37 to B -1974","objectType":"Trouser suit","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This tunic was worn over trousers by Mona, Countess Bismark. It is an example of the work of the Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga who continued to move with the times in the 1960s. For many of his more mature clients, trousers were still considered masculine dress or informal holiday or lounging wear. In this case, the fabric of the tunic added a touch of femininity, with its machine-embroidery probably originating in Switzerland. The combination of high quality textiles and simple cut was typical of this phase of Balenciaga's work. \r\n\r\nThe relationship between the couturier and the wearer of this outfit was particularly close. The cosmopolitan and exceptionally wealthy Countess Bismarck patronised the house for 30 years, buying as many as 50 to 80 items from each collection. She appreciated this particular style as she purchased another similar suit in different materials (Museum no. T.36-1974).","physicalDescription":"Trouser suit consisting of silk gabardine tunic and trousers, and a white blouse with openwork embroidery.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Cristóbal Balenciaga","id":"A2011"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"gabardine","id":"x32832"},{"text":"silk (textile)","id":"AAT243428"}],"techniques":[{"text":"weaving","id":"AAT53642"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Silk gabardine, openwork embroidery","categories":[{"text":"Fashion","id":"THES48957"},{"text":"Clothing","id":"THES48975"},{"text":"Embroidery","id":"THES48960"},{"text":"Gender and Sexuality","id":"THES48940"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2006AT8216","2006AT8215","2016JD8681"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"010","id":"THES307391"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"U","id":"THES297002"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"U","id":"THES297002"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Blouse","id":""}],[{"text":"Trousers","id":""}],[{"text":"Jacket","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Paris","id":"x29068"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1966","earliest":"1961-01-01","latest":"1970-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Countess Bismarck","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Length","value":"71.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Length along centre back"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"61.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"maximum length along centre front"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"95.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Propper left leg length along outer seam line"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"96","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Propper right leg length along outer seam line"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"18.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"length of zipper opening"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"71.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"length centre front"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"63","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"length centre back"},{"dimension":"Width","value":"44","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"width across front over bust from sleeve insert (bottom) to sleeve insert (bottom)"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"51","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"length of propper left sleeve from neckline to hem"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"50","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"length of propper right sleeve from neckline to hem"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"32","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"length of propper left under arm sleeve"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"31","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"length of propper right under arm sleeve"},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"5.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"depth of sleeve hem turnover at propper left"},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"depth of sleeve hem turnover at propper right"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"length of front dart by neckline propper left"},{"dimension":"Length","value":"5.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"length of front dart by neckline propper right"}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"The legendary Mona, Countess Of Bismarck, was an icon of fashion and style.  She was born to a humble home in Kentucky, but rose to high society,  marrying a string of wealthy socialites.  In 1933, luminaries of the couture world as Molyneaux, Lanvin, Vionnet, Lelong, and Chanel, got together and  declared Mona to be \"The best dressed Woman in the world\". \r\n\r\n\tMona adored the simple elegance of haute couture, and indeed, Mona's patronage of Balenciaga has become a part of fashion legend. When  Balenciaga closed the doors of his atelier in 1968, Mona didn't come out of her room for three days, according to fashion Doyenne Diana Vreeland, who  was staying with her at the time. \r\n\r\n\tIn 1972 Mona's great friend Cecil Beaton persuaded her, and other high society ladies, to donate their wardrobes to the V&A.  Beaton described Mona  as \"a rock-crystal goddess\".","historicalContext":"The legendary Mona, Countess Of Bismarck, defined the art of living well. A high society figure born from humble  origins, for three decades from the 1930s through the 1950s, she was a permanent fixture in such style bibles as  Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Town and Country magazines. Perhaps her ultimate accolade came in 1933, when  such luminaries of the couture world as Molyneaux, Lanvin, Vionnet, Lelong, and Chanel, got together and  declared Mona to be \"the best dressed woman in the world\". \r\n\r\nBorn Mona Strader of Louisville, Kentucky, Mona came from a broken home. Her parents separated when she was  five, leaving her grandmother and father to bring her up. Armed with considerable beauty, and innate charm, her  rise to the world of high society and glamour that she craved so, came via a succession of marriages to wealthy  men, her first at the age of twenty. \r\n\nMona and husband Harrison were the epitome of the American Dream, and the most glamourous couple of the  twenties and thirties. Where they went, what they bought, and what Mona wore, provided endless subject  matter for the nation's dinner parties. Mona's style was based around subtle elegance. She preferred the  subdued, clean, and sparing lines of Charles James, Mainbocher, and Balenciaga. \r\n\r\nIn fact, Mona's patronage of Balenciaga has become a part of fashion Legend. When Balenciaga closed the doors  of his atelier in 1968, Mona didn't come out of her room for three days, according to fashion Doyenne Diana  Vreeland, who was staying with her at the time. \r\n\r\nMona's taste in fashion evolved from a highly developed and personal intuition. White was her signature colour.  When black was the colour to be seen in, Mona rarely wore it until the late afternoon. Vogue commented that \"she  never orders the 'successes' in a collection, but instead the costume that is noticeable only on a second glance\".  When Mona visited Palm Beach in impeccably tailored white sportswear, Edna Chase, the formidable editor of  Vogue, recalled her as \"a dazzling figure\".\r\n\r\nIn 1937, Mona met Count Edward Bismarck, the grandson of Germany's Iron Chancellor. \"Eddie\" was a  homosexual, and his relationship with Mona was based on a profound friendship. With Harrison's approval, the  two became inseparable, and in 1954, a year after Harrison's death, Mona became the Countess Bismarck. \r\n\r\nMona died in her mansion in Paris in 1983. Forever associated with a glamourous age long since passed, her  popularity in fact went way beyond the boundaries of fashion, and was more like the kind reserved for a movie  star. Perhaps the final words should go to society photographer Cecil Beaton, who adored Mona, a frequent  subject for his lens. He described her as \"a rock-crystal goddess\".","briefDescription":"Trouser suit consisting of silk gaberdine tunic and trousers and embroidered blouse, designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris,  ca. 1966.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"<i>Fashion : An Anthology by Cecil Beaton</i>. London : H.M.S.O., 1971","id":"AUTH354373"},"details":"366","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Haute couture","id":"THES48861"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"bismarck","id":"N4536"},{"text":"Beaton","id":"N2787"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["T.37B-1974","T.37A-1974","T.37-1974"],"accessionNumberNum":"37","accessionNumberPrefix":"T","accessionYear":1974,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Blouse","Trousers","Jacket"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-27","recordCreationDate":"2005-03-07","availableToBook":false}}