This black cocktail dress was made in the Couture house of Christian Dior in Paris. It is from his 1956 Autumn/Winter collection. The main dress has a skirt that is split in front and would open when walking or sitting. For modesty, there is a slim black skirt worn underneath the main dress. The dress belonged to Seattleite Ann Dulien Diamond (1909-1984), who donated many high-fashion garments to MOHAI’s collection. She was born Ann Fabrikant in Russia (now Poland) in 1909 and came to the United States in 1911. She grew up in New York and moved to Seattle after her marriage to Louis T. Dulien in the 1930s. She was a regent member of the Seattle Art Museum, a leader with the Seattle chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women, and many other charities and arts organizations. After the death of her first husband, she married Seattle parking lot magnate Josef Diamond.