England's Charles Worth was considered the founder of haute couture: fashion elevated to art. Around 1860, he established his own fashion house in Paris, where he produced luxurious gowns for Europe's richest and most famous women. Until then, couturiers had been anonymous tailors, but Worth saw himself as an artist and literally attached his name to his work. Nowadays, ‘signing’ clothing is commonplace; the sewn-in brand label determines value. [text 2023]This exquisite two-piece, ivory coloured silk satin and velvet ball gown was designed by Charles Frederick Worth in 1886. The Englishman was the pioneer of haute couture and one of the first designers to literally attach his name to his designs. Until then they had almost always remained anonymous. 'PARIS Worth PARIS', referring to the French capital where Worth opened his first fashion house in 1858 in the rue de la Paix, is printed on the waistband inside the bodice. It is now impossible to imagine that garments would not be 'signed'; it is no longer the quality, but the label on a garment which determines the value of a specific design. This ball gown was found in the attic of department store the Bijenkorf in Amsterdam and consequently donated to the Centraal Museum in 1984. Unfortunately we haven't managed to trace who stole the show when wearing it.