I love this assiut dress! Images of this gown have appeared all over the web for the past decade. Usually, this dress is just tagged as assiut, or included in an unlabeled collection of fashion images. The year that this picture appeared in Vogue, I tore it out and pinned it to my inspiration wall. I grabbed two images, one from British Vogue (at left) and American Vogue (below top) I loved the excessive decadence, supreme luxury, and retro glam, including numerous allusions to bohemian styles of the first two decades of the 20th century. But who designed this dress?
British designer Johan Galliano included this in his fall 1997 haute couture collection for the French fashion house Christian Dior. He had only been the head designer for a year, and needed a major statement to really cement his role. Images from his collection appeared in virtually every fashion magazine that fall.
For American Vogue, editor Grace Coddington visualized decadent gowns in a magical garden. She put this fantastic gown on model Carolyn Murphy and styled her with an over the top red-orange wig dashing across a lawn. The photo was shot by Peter Lindbergh and was featured as part of a 10 page spread.
Here’s the opulent, over-the-top fashion show where the gown first appeared – can you spot it in this video? Be aware, Model Shalome Harlow appears in a topless gown, so this may not be safe for peeking at in every environment.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/Rj8DYXo3i7k
You can now follow me on the bloglovin site – an easy way to read your favorite blogs!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
In 1948, Cicil B. Demille, noted film director began work on the Oscar award winning sword and sandal film, Sampson and Delilah starring Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature. Edith Head, the top costume designer of the day was selected to create a collection of gorgeous gowns for the role of Delilah. Along with peacock feathered robes, and rich gowns of gold and purple, Head designed this luxurious two-piece ensemble made of supple and sensual assiut.
Hedy was considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood and designer Edith Head carefully cut this top and skirt to take advantage of the natural drape and cling of the garment to showcase Hedy’s sumptuous curves. In the scene from the film, you can see how the outfit drapes when she’s still, glistens when she moves, and clings in all the right places.
Images Above
Left: Screen Capture from Film
Right: Studio Publicity Still of Hedy Lamarr as Delilah
Images Below
Top Left: Studio Publicity Still of Hedy Lamarr as Delilah
Top Right: Movie Poster from Samson & Delilah
Middle Left: Director Cicil B. DeMille directs Hedy Lamarr on Set
Middle Right: Costume designer Edith Head with her record 8 Oscar wins for best costume designer
Lower Middle Center: Studio Publicity Still of Hedy Lamaar as Delilah
Bottom Left: Costume Designer Edith Head surrounded by Sketches
Bottom Right: Costume Sketch for Hedy Lamarr in the role of Delilah
The Belly Dance ReaderDuring the better part of 2012, I was working on a fantastic new publication, The Belly Dance Reader. This 280 page book is a collection of articles, artwork, photographs and essays from the leaders of the belly dance. I contributed an article “Practice Makes Perfection,” which I wrote after interviewing two pro makeup artists, Lisa “Firefly” Felten and Adriana Marrelli. Our mission is to inspire dancers to improve their appearance by experimenting and practicing with makeup.
The goal was to create an informative and inspiring collection of writing from academics, independent scholars and talented pros from around the globe. I was pleased to join the team of editors working on this groundbreaking project. Never before has there been book with such a large and diverse collection writing on belly dance.
I helped editor Lynette Harris with numerous fine details. From writing captions, to editing text and formatting page layouts, we worked tirelessly to get this publication ready before Dec. 5 so we can relax during the holiday season. Check out some of the content below.
