Object: Dress
Designer:
Ossie Clark
(1942 - 1996)
Designer:
Celia Birtwell
(born 1941)
Date: 1969
Medium: Silk chiffon
Country: England
Credit Line: Gift of Barbara Hodes
Object number: 87.52.1
DescriptionOff white silk crinkle chiffon dress with green / black printed shamrock vine pattern and multiple front buttons; fitted, with square cut skirt and handkerchief points at cuffs and hem
Label Text:Celia Birtwell and Ossie Clark began collaborating in 1964. Their work with transparent chiffon helped spark the revival of romantic and feminine styles in the late 1960s. Birtwell’s fabrics often inspired Clark; she used a small dress form (as opposed to a flat surface) to sketch out fabric designs that frequently informed the direction of Clark’s work. His technique of draping the fabric on a live model resulted in his signature body-conscious styles.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk
- Arbiters of Style
- London Fashion
- 50 Years of Fashion, 1947 - 1997
- Exhibitionism: 50 Years of the Museum at FIT