Suit,
1938
House of Chanel (French, founded 1913), Couture House; Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel
(French, 1883–1971), Designer
French; Made Paris, France
Suit,
Evening, 1938–1965
F. Scholte (British), Designer; H. Harris (American), Designer
American; Made New York
Gift of the Duchess of Windsor, 1974 (1974.185.3a–c)
The first recorded instance of a man giving his bride-to-be a diamond ring was
in 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Hamburg gave one to Mary of Burgundy.
However, this was only an occasional occurrence among royalty and the extremely
wealthy -- hardly what would be called a tradition.
It wasn't until the 1930s, when the South African diamond company De Beers tried
to boost sales by working with Hollywood starlets and movie studios to promote
the concept of presenting a diamond ring as part of a marriage proposal, that
the idea started to catch on. In 1947, De Beers launched their highly successful
"A Diamond Is Forever" marketing campaign, and convinced men that they needed to
spend two to three months' salary in order to present their intended with a
suitable engagement ring. Today, approximately 75 percent of engagements include
a diamond ring.
Apollo of
Versailles, Cape, 1938
Elsa Schiaparelli (French, born Italy, 1890–1973), Designer
French; Made Paris, France
Dress,
Evening, spring/summer 1938
Madeleine Vionnet (French, 1876–1975), Designer
French
Sandals,
1938
Salvatore Ferragamo (Italian, 1898–1960), Designer
Italian
Gift of Salvatore Ferragamo
Cyclone,
Dress, Evening, 1939
House of Lanvin (French, founded 1890), Couture House; Jeanne Lanvin (French,
1867–1946), Designer
French
Blouse,
Evening, 1940–1945
Elsa Schiaparelli (French, born Italy, 1890–1973), Designer; Bonwit Teller
(American, founded 1907), Department Store
French
Ensemble,
Evening, 1945
Gilbert Adrian (American, 1903–1959), Designer
American
Ensemble,
1945
Nettie Rosenstein (American), Designer
American
Bar Suit,
Jacket, spring/summer 1947
Christian Dior Haute Couture (French, founded 1947), Couture House; Christian
Dior (French, 1905–1957), Designer
French
Dress,
Evening, spring/summer 1947
Jacques Fath (French, 1912 - 1954), Designer
French; Made Paris, France