Maison Worth was famous for its ability to constantly produce amazing designs and that was especially true when it came to evening dresses.¹In referring to Worth, we tend to use the term “Maison Worth” to denote the business after his passing in 1893. Below is an elegant evening dress from circa 1898-1900:

Worth, Evening Dress, c. 1898-1900; Metropolitan Museum of Art (976.258.4a, b)

The dress is constructed from what appears to be a black silk velvet burn-out floral design, no doubt created through the Devoré process, and lining the neckline is a wide ivory lace strip. Below is a close-up of the front bodice:

Below is a side profile that shows the floral design nicely:

Here’s the rear of the dress which is also trimmed with same lace as the front:

We just envision this as the perfect dress for those winter gatherings… 🙂