True vintage 1950s baby-pink satin damask gown with bolero

There are dresses that stop you in your tracks — and then there are the ones that make you go quiet for a moment. Diorling Pink is very much the latter.

Cut in soft baby-pink satin damask, she is a textbook example of the early-1950s New Look silhouette: sculpted through the bodice, cinched firmly at the waist, and sweeping out into a gloriously full tea-length skirt with movement and presence in equal measure. Feminine, assured and beautifully made.

The halter-neck bodice features asymmetrical ruching across the front, shaping and flattering. The original matching covered belt remains — complete with its soft sculptural buckle — anchoring that tiny waist exactly as intended.

And then there is the bolero.
A rare and elegant companion piece, cut with a stand-up collar, long sleeves with pointed cuffs, and a neat line of tiny domed fabric-covered buttons fastening the front. It transforms the dress entirely: demure and architectural one moment, softly glamorous the next.

Restoration notes: This gown has been carefully and sympathetically restored, with one guiding principle throughout: preserve what makes her original. The delicate domed buttons were removed, cleaned and saved rather than replaced — a decision made with expert advice and a great deal of patience. The result is a dress that looks fresh and luminous, while remaining entirely true to her era. It's been one of my most satisfying restorations - and you can see her journey in the video.

She is a rare survivor, and restoration has been about respect, not reinvention. Exceptionally, Diorling Pink still resides in her original shop box, labelled David Lewis Couture, 20 Dering Street, Bond Street W1, with references to the brand’s Colchester and Brentwood boutiques. It’s a small piece of ephemera — but one that tells a bigger story. A reminder that this dress was once carefully wrapped, carried home, and treasured from the very beginning.

David Lewis Couture was a mid-century English fashion salon, offering elegant ready-to-wear and made-to-measure designs from regional boutiques, with a discreet Bond Street address lending London polish. Not a grand couture house — but exactly the sort of place stylish women went for quality, fit, and quiet sophistication.