Dress designed by Ann Lowe

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

An ivory dress decorated with swirls of handmade fabric rose vines, designed by Ann Lowe. The variety of rose depicted on the dress is the American Beauty, which has led to it being called the "American Beauty" dress. The bodice of the dress is sleeveless, with a scoop neck front, princess seams and a deep "v" in the back reaching to the waist. The skirt of the dress has a flat front, and the skirt gathers toward the center-back waist with box pleats to create a small bustle silhouette. Green silk vines and leaves, covered in two-toned pink rose blooms and buds, begin at each front shoulder above the bust, cover both shoulders, and run along the edges of the open back bodice to the center back. On the proper right side, one (1) small vine continues below the waist and wraps around the hip to the front of the skirt.

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