Light orange, chiffon evening dress lined with yellow taffeta. Sweetheart neckline, with ruched bodice front. Applied embellishments in yellow plastic cabochons and clear glass beads. Split sleeves with cuff, gathered into wide, lined shoulder strap.
It was bought in Paris by a Mrs Jones. Her husband had family there. The labels were removed apparently removed for customs evasion with an English size label added. This, and its design suggests it dates to 1940s.

Length 1300mm, width 450mm.

During World War II (1939-1945), most materials were rationed for the war effort. This included fabric. The number of new garments that could be bought by any household was limited from 1941-1949 and hemlines for women’s skirts rose to save on fabric. This meant that some people resorted to finding methods of avoiding being taxed for new clothing, including when crossing borders at customs. It appears that the Jones removed French labels and added English ones to make it appear as if they had brought the dress from England with them on their travels, rather than buying a new dress while abroad.