The mannequin in the pale gold and embroidered silk gown stands in a corner of the gallery.
Her head-to-toe ensemble of the same color is highlighted by identical fruit patterns woven into her gown's delicate fabric. She also wears a cotton and taffeta French hat while toting a parasol. The display is supposed to evoke a female passenger in First Class on her way to tea aboard the R.M.S. Titanic.
The gown, circa 1916, is an original outfit. The real-life woman who designed it was known as Lucile, Lady Duff Gordon. A prominent figure in the world of high fashion in that period, she was among the most privileged class of passengers aboard the Titanic when the ship went down in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg on April 15, 1912, taking more than 1,500 souls with it.
"She did survive the sinking of the Titanic and went on to do amazing things and find great success," said Christine Johnson, associate curator of the Fashion Institute of Designing and Merchandising (FIDM) Museum.