While Nelle Fabyan preferred her farm animals and dogs at Riverbank, the lavish estate she shared with her husband Colonel George Fabyan, she did attend some swanky parties with their wealthy friends. One of her ballgowns, and the only of hers that we believe still exists, was designed for her by famed French fashion designer Georges Doeuillet.
Only three museums in the world currently have Deouillet’s designs on display: the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Louvre in Paris, and the Alingsås Museum in Sweden.
The Fabyan Villa Museum in Geneva will be the fourth with your help!
Support for this project has been provided by the Kane County Board, through its Office of Community Reinvestment, with funds from the Grand Victoria Riverboat Casino. Also, generous grant funding from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley and Colonial Dames of America allowed for the dress to be assessed and meticulously repaired for long-term conservation by the Conservation Center of Chicago in 2024.
Now we are raising the last $4,500 of the estimated $13,000 to build a special display case, called a vitrine, so the dress can be on display and protected from deterioration. Our goal is to have the dress on display later this year! If you would like to sponsor Nelle Fabyan’s Georges Deouillet Parisian Couture Ballgown, please click the button below. Any funds raised above the cost of the display case will be used to fund lighting installation at the Fabyan Villa Museum to enhance the gown’s display.
Doeuillet (1865-1934) was one of the most well-known couturiers in France in his time. He worked for the fashion house Callot Soeurs until he opened his own house in 1900. He was best known for designing the first robes de style (cocktail dress). In 1911, Doeuillet was awarded the Legion of Honor in recognition of his contribution to the world of fashion.
Thank you for supporting the conservation of this special and historic ballgown.
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