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Overview
Marie-Louise Bruyère, who was active in Paris from the 1920s through to the early 1950s, designed this softly tailored gown.
The slim-line dark, bottle green evening gown is ankle length and features a slit at the lower centre front, a straight cut bodice with wide shoulder straps, the main detail being a shell-shaped pleated detail to the central waist area which creates a draped effect to the gown. The back of the dress is low and features two overlapping curved panels. The gown is made from a fine wool fabric.
From velvet to wool
The gown, along with a woollen cloak, was sent to the New Zealand Wool Board by the International Wool Secretariat (IWS). The IWS worked closely with the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne to promote fashions in wool. Originally, Madame Bruyère had designed the gown in green velvet. However, when Mary-Annette Hay (née Burgess), the Wool Board's Promotions Officer, was first offered the ensemble she enquired if the style was available in wool. Bruyère obliged, and made a new gown in a fine wool to match the cloak. The gown and cloak featured in many of Mary-Annette’s wool productions as a perfect outfit for the opera.