This dress belonged to fashion retailer Helen Igoe (1870-1962) and was likely purchased in Paris. Igoe came to Seattle in the early 20th century and in 1907 was sent on the first-ever buying trip from Seattle to Europe while working for the department store MacDougall & Southwick. In 1910 she opened her own store. The Seattle Times called the Helen Igoe Shop for Women a “Fashion Innovation” because it brought a Paris-like shopping experience to the city. From opening in 1910 to her retirement in 1950, Igoe continued travelling to Europe and New York to stock her shop with the latest high styles. She was known as the leading authority on fashionable dress in the city. In 1950 she sold her shop at 1331 Fifth Avenue to employee John Doyle Bishop who renamed it after himself.