Design for an evening dress

Design for a brown evening dress with large diamond shaped motifs. It has a fitted bodice with a high round neck edged in black. A stylised sash forms the lower bodice with a crossover on the left side, where a large black bow is attached. The cap sleeves are cut as one with the bodice. The full skirt reaches to below the knee. The sketch to the left shows the boat neck at the back of the dress. The dress is worn with long, pale pink gloves.
Written in the top left corner is '1' and 'High. Boat neck'.
Fashion designer Victor Stiebel (1907-1976) was born in Durban in South Africa and came to Cambridge in 1924 to read architecture. After designing sets and costumes for the Footlights review, he decided to go into fashion design. Steibel started working for court dressmakers Reville in 1929. In 1932 he set up his own business at 21 Bruton Street in Mayfair. During World War II Stiebel enlisted in the Camouflage Division and also designed Utility clothing.
After the war, Stiebel worked for the Jacqmar fashion house in Grosvenor Street as Director of Couture, then in 1958 he re-opened his own establishment at 17 Cavendish Square. He retired in 1963 suffering from muscular sclerosis.
Stiebel produced romantic, understated clothes, specialising in evening wear and dressing high society figures and celebrities like Princess Margaret and Vivien Leigh.