Volume 19: Women's wear, 1956

Volume 19 includes coverage of Mainbocher's Spring 1956 and Fall 1956 collections, as well as miscellaneous coverage of his designs for socialites like Mrs. William S. Paley (Barbara "Babe" Cushing Mortimer Paley). For spring, the designer did not embrace one particular silhouette, but rather included several different ones, hoping one would make a woman look her best. The collection had lots of colors and printed fabrics, especially florals. Suits and dresses were paired with an elbow-length stole, often made of the same fabric as the suit blouse. For fall he featured a wide range of evening gowns, including some with trains and others with the Turkish or harem hem. This volume includes articles in German; coverage of Paley's tie for first place of the world's best-dressed women; and several articles in which the Duchess of Windsor calls Mainbocher "the most important fashion influence in her life." Folders include a typed contents page; Five large black and white photographs of women (perhaps models in the salon) wearing what are presumably Mainbocher dresses; and a two-page article entitled "Women of Two Wars" in which some of Mainbocher's designs for uniforms are depicted.