1960s Jean Louis Linen Dress Suit with Four Leaf Clover Embroidery

An important late 1960s ensemble by one of Hollywood's greatest costume designers - Jean Louis. The set consists of a dress and jacket and is crafted from beige linen which is lightly textured and embroidered all-over with four-leaf clovers in an assortment of complementary rainbow hues including lime green, baby blue, fuchsia, tangerine, lilac and yellow. The dress is tailored to a classic short-sleeve shift-style. It has a casual V-neckline and relaxed pencil-skirt that falls to just below knee-length. It fastens at the back of the neck with hidden tonal zip and hook-and-eye clasp. The jacket is cut to a boxy, lightly tailored fit. It fastens at the front with three circular plastic buttons, one orange, one yellow and one blue. It has an open collar with wide lapels and both the jacket and dress are lined with tonal crepe.

This important ensemble is in fantastic vintage condition with no flaws to the dress or jacket and looks barely worn. Couture made for one of Jean Louis's fabulously wealthy clients, neither piece contains a size or composition label. We think it best suited to a US 6 or UK 10 with a little wriggle room if you are edging up to the next size on occasion.

Notes of Designer: Jean Louis, born in Paris in 1907, became one of the defining costume designers of Hollywood’s Golden Age. After serving as head costume designer at Columbia Pictures from 1944 to 1960—earning 13 Academy Award nominations and winning for The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)—he left the studio system in 1961 to establish his own label, Jean Louis, Inc. His firm specialized in refined cocktail dresses, evening gowns, and impeccably tailored suits, translating his cinematic sense of drama and line into garments for private clients. He continued to freelance for film studios, maintaining his connection to Hollywood while expanding his couture clientele which included leading actresses Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, and Julie Andrews. Jean Louis was celebrated for his ability to integrate a performer’s persona with character-driven design, a skill evident in the strapless black gown he created for Rita Hayworth in Gilda and the crystal-embellished, flesh-toned dress worn by Marilyn Monroe during her 1962 “Happy Birthday” performance for President John F. Kennedy whose sketch was drawn by a young Bob Mackie.

MEASUREMENTS DRESS

BUST - 39 in. (99 cm)

WAIST - 32 in. (81 cm)

HIP - 41 in. (104 cm)

LENGTH - 40 in. (102 cm)

MEASUREMENTS JACKET

BUST - 39 in. (99 cm)

WAIST - 32 in. (81 cm)

LENGTH - 18 in. (46 cm)

SHOULDERS - 17 in. (43 cm)