This strapless silk chiffon dress was created in the late 1970s by American fashion designer Stephen Burrows. Burrows grew up in New Jersey dancing mambo and first began designing dresses for his female dance partners, but never officially started making garments until he enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1964. He began creating outfits for his group of friends to wear dancing in New York’s discos and nightclubs, where his designs quickly gained notoriety. In 1970, he became the designer-in-residence at Henri Bendel, where he had his own boutique titled “Stephen Burrows World” that brought him immediate success and international acclaim.
In 1973 Burrows was invited to participate in the infamous “Battle of Versailles” fashion show at which he was the youngest and only Black designer showcased. His form-fitting, psychedelic-colored gowns modeled by his posse of mainly Black models stole the show and catalyzed the demand for inclusivity on the runways. This dress is finished with Burrows’ own invention, the lettuce-edge hem, and is a toned-down take on his infamous color-blocked gowns featured at the show in Versailles. Stephen Burrows was the first African American designer to win an American Fashion Critics Coty Award and dressed many icons including Diana Ross, Cher, Farah Fawcett, Naomi Watts, and Liza Minelli.
