Cocktail Dress 1962. Balenciaga. Straight, knee-length dress cut at waistline. The bodice, with a round neck at the front and back, is fitted to the torso with ribbons on the inside that run from the waist to the chest. Fastens at the back with press-studs and hooks. The skirt is slightly gathered at the waist. The entire dress is adorned with jet black bead appliqués. This cocktail dress, made in the workshops of Paris for the 1962 winter collection, was presented as model number 71. It shows the technical simplicity that prevailed in the 1960s models in contrast with the spectacular materials used. The richness of the embroidery and the distribution of the jet-black beads made by Mesrine remind us of the embroidery on historical Spanish clothing known as goyesque. | Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa