Woman's Dress, 1940–45
date: label: Date made
content: 1940-1945
name: label: maker
content: Ballerino, Louella
label: designer
content: Ballerino, Louella
label: maker
content: Ballerino, Louella
notes: label: Description
content: There is no information as to who wore this dress designed by Louella Ballerino.
label: Description
content: Louella Ballerino, who was born in 1900, is best known for her garments incorporating "South of the Border" motifs. A native Californian, Ballerino graduated from the University of Southern California and sold fashion sketches to wholesale California manufacturers. After marrying Melvin Ballerino and having two children, money difficulties after the Depression prompted her to resume selling fashion sketches. When this did not realize the money she wanted, she found a job in a custom dress shop. She also began teaching a class in fashion design and illustration. While teaching, she stressed that fashion was really the ability to adapt old ideas into new forms. Eventually, she began working as a designer for a ready-made manufacturer and then decided to manufacture her own line. That dress, first produced in 1938, incorporated small wooden blocks, and proved to be a good seller. Over the years, she featured many fabrics with Mexican inspiration. Later she designed a line of clothing for Jantzen. As a California sportswear designer who adapted ethnic designs in fabrics and style for the American market in the 1930s and 1940s, Ballerino is most often associated with smart, casual clothes and swim suits. She was one of the first California sportswear designers known by name.
label: Description
content: This one-piece dress is constructed of a slub rayon printed in green, red, blue, gold, brown, and burgundy on a cream colored ground. The large print of a woman carrying a child against a South or Central American landscape is placed along the lower bodice and skirt section. The fitted bodice has a scooped neckline with piping at the edge and bias cut cap sleeves. A center back opening extends into a gathered skirt section with the bodice fastening with four green matte buttons. The dress measures 42 1/4 inches at the center back. The missing belt was most likely a green sash that tied in front.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: made in
content: United States: California, Los Angeles
label: made in
content: United States: California
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Costume
label: See more items in
content: Clothing & Accessories
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2000.0124.001
label: accession number
content: 2000.0124
label: catalog number
content: 2000.0124.001
objectType: label: Object Name
content: dress, 1-piece
label: Object Type
content: Dress
label: Object Type
content: Entire Body
label: Object Type
content: Main Dress
label: Object Type
content: Woman
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: center back: 42 1/4 in; 107.315 cm