This gown is from the couture house of Elsa Schiaparelli, likely during Hubert de Givenchy’s design tenure in the early 1950s. It boldly contrasts the black skirt and beading with Schiaparelli’s signature color, “shocking pink.”
The wearer, Ruth Schoenfeld Blethen Clayburgh, was a prominent arts patron who attended and organized many of Seattle’s most glamorous fundraising events. She was a founder of PONCHO (Patrons of Northwest Civic, Cultural and Charitable Organizations) and was involved with the Seattle Symphony fundraiser, Symphoneve. Symphoneve featured an elaborate fashion show as the main entertainment.