2002.58.1

Images (3)

Exoticism_23 Left to right P88.1.1 (mini dress), 86.15.6 (scarf wall), 2002.58.1 (gold dress), 76.185.3 (gold suit), 93.148.10 (shoes case), U.2183 (earrings case), 86.104.2 (hat case), 68.143.94 (bag case), 76.56.16 (shoes case), 94.85.2A (textile wall), 86.130.61 (green ensemble), 2007.46.24 (caftan), 80.58.5 (pink evening dress), 97.60.40 (boots case)

Object: Cocktail dress

Designer: Geoffrey Beene (1927 - 2004)

Retailer: Balliet's

Date: 1969

Medium: Gold lamé, tan crepe, gold braid, and brass filigree

Country: USA

Credit Line: Gift of Jane L. Rodgers

Object number: 2002.58.1

DescriptionShort Indian cocktail dress in pebble-texture gold lamé on tan crepe, with gold braid on collar, placket, cuffs and hem; attached brass filigree necklace with large pendant tassels; wide belt

Label Text:Reflecting the eclecticism of the 1960s, youth culture and Eastern fashion merge in this dress. Drawing his inspiration from traditional Indian menswear, Geoffrey Beene uses gold braid trim to imitate the look of the sherwani - a fitted coat-like garment customarily reserved for formal occasions. Indian-inspired brass jewelry is attached along the neckline of the dress, reflecting Beene's fondness for incorporating accessories into a garment. While the above-the-knee length silhouette harkens to the comfort and freedom of youth fashion, this dress preserves the rigid, heavy construction of New Look fashions that many women still deemed "proper."

In Collection(s)

1960s

Exhibitions:

Exoticism
The Traphagen School: Fostering American Fashion