WEDDING GOWN

1954

Gift of Placidia "Pete" Buechler-Stoltz

2009.15.01 a-c

French designer Christian Dior launched his "New Look" in 1947. Featuring rounded shoulders, a cinched waist, and very full skirt, the New Look celebrated ultra-feminity and inspired women's fashion throughout the 1950s. Placidia "Pete" Buechler bought this characteristic ballerina-length wedding dress, made of synthetic satin, lace, and tulle, at a women's shop in Billings. She married meat cutter Everett Stoltz on May 8, 1954. A hundred people attended the couple's nuptial mass at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Hardin and the cake, coffee, and ice cream reception that followed in the parish hall.