Saed News: The Pahlavi family—especially Mohammad Reza’s wives—were obsessed with extravagance and wasteful spending, as if they were connected to an endless source of wealth, while the people of Iran were struggling to make ends meet and deprivation was widespread among the general population.
According to the History Service of Saed News, this dress—currently on display in Gallery Three on the second floor of the Royal Costume Museum—is a floor-length gown made of emerald-green velvet. It features a wide, rounded neckline and sleeveless armholes; in fashion terminology, it’s also called a “shoulder-cut sundress.”
The back of the dress has a zipper running from just below the neckline to the waistline. The bodice is unlined, but the skirt consists of three lining layers: the first is a standard lining; the second is a stiff black tulle, to which a wide plastic band called a “debie” is sewn at the hem so the skirt holds its shape more beautifully; and the third layer is tulle matching the emerald-green velvet. The back hem is cut slightly longer than the front, forming a short train. The skirt is cut in a circular (cloche) style with box pleats.
This gown is one of several purchased in the late 1950s—specifically 1959, the year of Farah Diba’s engagement—from the famous French couture house Christian Dior. However, there are photographs of Farah Diba fitting the dress alongside Yves Saint Laurent, who at that time served as Dior’s assistant designer. In those photos, a wide fur trim appears at the skirt’s hem, which unfortunately is no longer present.
Farah Diba wore this dress to the receptions held in 1959 to celebrate her entrance into the Pahlavi royal court.
Yves-Henri-Donat-Mathieu Saint Laurent (French: Yves-Henri-Donat-Mathieu Saint Laurent; August 1936 – June 2008) was a renowned French fashion designer whose work had a profound impact on the fashion industry in the latter half of the twentieth century. He began his career at Dior but in 1962 opened his own fashion house, Yves Saint Laurent, quickly becoming one of Paris’s most influential designers. He popularized women wearing trousers (both in urban and rural styles) and pioneered the adaptation of traditionally male garments into women’s fashion, establishing new standards in dress design. Among his innovations was the creation of tuxedo jackets for women, known as “le smoking.”
