Object: Evening ensemble
Designer:
Adrian
(1903 - 1959)
Date: 1945
Medium: Rayon crepe
Country: USA
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: P82.13.1
DescriptionEvening ensemble; floor length cape, short sleeve top with keyhole neck, and long skirt, in taupe rayon crepe, with intricately shaped inset pieces in tan, rust, green and brown, creating an abstract design inspired by a cubist painting.
Label Text:This fluid and comfortable evening ensemble, a masterpiece of construction and color, is an example of fine art's influence on mid-century fashion. The entire garment is made from six different colors of rayon crepe that were over-dyed to complement one another. More extraordinary is that the complex patterning of this ready-to-wear design was made by sewing together numerous, undulating pattern pieces. The ensemble's patterning is derived from biomorphism, abstract painting styles that were increasingly popular in the 1940s. Inspired by the organic and curvilinear shapes of some Surrealist artists, biomorphism was adapted by designers in a wide range of disciplines, including fashion.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Fabulous! Fashions of the 1940s
- The Tailor's Art
- Adrian
- Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT (Part Two)