1970s Bellville Sassoon Silk Twill Dress and Linen Jacket Ensemble

This early to mid 1970s ensemble was designed by Bellville Sassoon, the British couture house founded by Belinda Bellville in 1953. David Sassoon joined the company in 1958 and became Bellville’s business partner in 1970, when the house was renamed Bellville Sassoon. Renowned for bringing Parisian-influenced glamour to London, the house dressed an illustrious international clientele including Princess Margaret, Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, and would later become one of Diana, Princess of Wales’s most prolific designers.

The ensemble comprises a sleeveless dress and coordinating white linen jacket. The dress is tailored from vibrant silk twill printed with a crisp geometric pattern of squares in navy, royal blue, red and white. It has a large pointed collar and a softly box pleated skirt falling to the calf, with fabric-covered buttons fastening the neckline. Particularly unusual is the integral white sleeveless over-bodice, which sits over the patterned shirt-dress beneath and creates the appearance of a separate tank top, although it forms part of the dress and cannot be removed. The dress fastens at the back with a concealed zip. The bodice is lined in off-white cotton, while the skirt is lined in off-white satin.

The coordinating jacket is tailored from white linen in a neat single-breasted silhouette. It fastens with three gold-tone metal buttons embossed with anchor motifs, reinforcing the subtle nautical character of the ensemble. The edges and cuffs are trimmed with the same geometric silk twill used for the dress beneath, neatly tying the two pieces together. The jacket is fully lined in white silk.

The ensemble is in very good vintage condition and has been professionally dry cleaned; it presents well. There is a very slight halo of discolouration beneath the arms of the dress, visible only on the inside, and a few tiny pinprick marks to the white linen of the jacket. There is also some fraying to the silk trim at the cuffs, largely confined to the underside and difficult to discern within the busy print; we have therefore chosen to leave this as is rather than interfere with the original construction. There are no surviving size or composition labels and the fabrics have no stretch. We believe it is best suited to approximately a UK 8–10 or US 4–6. Please refer to the sizing information below to ensure the best fit.

Notes on Designer: Belinda Bellville founded her London atelier in 1953, initially catering to the aristocratic social and debutante circuit with sophisticated clothes that bridged the gap between Paris couture and British ready-to-wear. David Sassoon joined in 1958 and became her partner in 1970, creating Bellville Sassoon. The house went on to dress generations of royalty, actresses and society figures and became especially renowned for elegant occasion wear. Lorcan Mullany joined in 1987 after working for designers including Bill Gibb and Hardy Amies, continuing the house’s tradition of highly accomplished evening and couture-inspired dressing.

MEASUREMENTS DRESS

BUST - 34 in. (86 cm)

WAIST - 30 in. (76 cm)

HIP - 38 in. (97 cm)

LENGTH - 39 in. (99 cm)

MEASUREMENTS JACKET

BUST - 34 in. (86 cm)

WAIST - 30 in. (76 cm)

HIP - 36 in. (91 cm)

LENGTH - 22 in. (56 cm)

SHOULDERS - 16.5 in. (42 cm)