About the Look

This 1966-67 dress shows off the elegant taste of its designer, Ann Lowe. It is constructed out of ivory silk faille. The neckline of the dress gently scoops in the front and descends in the back, which daringly exposes the wearer’s shoulder blades (Fig. 1). The gown contours the bust and features an empire waistline that swoops to the natural waist in the rear (Fig. 2). The full-bodied fabric undulates to the floor from a series of small pleats in the back of the skirt. The silhouette of the dress reflects 60s style; the narrow skirt creates a clean line from the waistline to the hem (Fig. 3).

Lowe decorated the gown with flourishing vines and flowers made from silk—a signature design element. The dress is often referred to as the American Beauty dress, as the silk flowers resemble the American Beauty variety of rose. The rose and baby pink flowers are almost surreal; they are imbued with so much life that they appear as if they are about to grow beyond the boundaries of the gown. The embellishments are impactful and graphic. The snaking green vines have meticulously-rendered leaves and veins, and the blooms are shaped with delicate pleats.

As a result of Lowe’s mastery of the complex architecture of evening wear, the dress appears almost effortless. Boning, cups, and several lines of elastic support the wearer’s bust. It has an interior waistband made from grosgrain. The dress is lined with a knit and has an interior petticoat to hold out the shape of the hem (Smithsonian Institute). The interior of a Lowe gown with a similar style of construction can be seen in figure 4.

The dress belonged to an American named Barbara Baldwin Dowd. It was worn as a debutante dress. As reflected by the gown’s tiny 23-inch waist, it was intended for a teenager. Over the course of her career, Lowe designed many debutante and bridal gowns, including Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress.

What sets the American Beauty gown apart from others of this decade are the animated appliqué roses and vines made from silk. Floral embellishments made several appearances in contemporary fashion publications; however, they were usually more flattened and subdued in comparison to the Lowe dress. Women’s Wear Daily, a popular trade publication, remarks that floral appliqués frequently appeared in retail advertisements in April 1964; they’re also shown in Town and Country in March 1967 (Fig. 12).

Large floral embellishments with technicolor hues are a hallmark of many of Lowe’s creations. Lowe’s floral designs were informed by her childhood spent learning to sew from her mother and grandmother. Surrounded by the scraps from their work, Ann would piece together magnificent blossoms from the offshoots that fell to the floor (Powell 3). The blooms became a theme throughout Lowe’s adult work. In this 1967 gown (Fig. 13), fuchsia velvet roses burst from the waistline. The 1968 dress seen in figure 14 has chiffon chrysanthemums dancing around the hem. Compared to other debutante dresses from the 60s, Lowe’s gowns shared a boldness that few could match.

Throughout Lowe’s career in New York, she frequently created debutante dresses (Powell 33). Her clientele was almost exclusively white and of the official New York society register (Powell 39). Lowe worked tirelessly to escape discrimination, but by necessity, she created gowns that were used to reproduce class boundaries. While debutante balls can be seen as a rite of passage, the traditional intent was to promote endogamous marriage and to reinforce that members of high society would continue to socialize within the boundaries of the elite (Haynes, ch. 3). As an African American woman, Lowe would have been largely excluded from these events, although she was the source of the elite’s ritual costume. The American Beauty gown was intended to represent a very specific version of American beauty, one which was overwhelmingly white and wealthy.

Despite the small amount of press that Lowe received throughout her lifetime, her elegant designs are integral to the history of American fashion. Her work reflects the trends of the 60s while still developing a unique dreamlike aesthetic, and she was able to show her personality and imagination through embellishment and craftsmanship.