You may or may not have seen the video about this ensemble – but here are some images and notes as well:

From 1992.001

“pink and grey bustle ensemble
2 piece of grey silk taffeta, trimmed with pink silk taffeta and pink fringe
Bodice of taffeta
Skirt of taffeta
Fullness at back to accommodate bustle
Train

pocket in right front of skirt”

Condition issues: “Perspiration stains underarms- starting to deteriorate
No tears
Missing 3 buttons (but only one would show)
Skirt- hand stitches (in blue thread) at back of skirt are attempted repairs. Placket doesn’t match up, perhaps as a result, altered for use as a costume
Tear in front second drape near CF”

This is a good candidate for stabilization – it’s not in horrible shape, but the skirt definitely needs to be re-draped.

We’ve always wondered about this dress – we refer to it as pink and grey, and have long wondered if that’s a connection to Vassar’s past school colors. Of course, the grey is somewhat blue-grey, and maybe it’s just a coincidence. We’ve also recently discovered that the ensemble may have been donated by someone from the Adriance family of Poughkeepsie – so there’s some provenance research to be done there. How do we know that? Sometime in the seventies, several of the objects were worn (gasp!) for a fashion show on campus, and photographed for the Vassar Quarterly. This was in that group, and the caption for the photo refers to it as “a gift of the Adriance estate.” Hmmmm.

Here’s a slideshow with more images, although it doesn’t show the 3rd outerwear piece that was recently reconnected with the rest of the ensemble (as shown in the video):