Object: Evening dress
Brand:
Givenchy
(French, founded 1952)
Designer:
Hubert de Givenchy
(1927 - 2018)
Date: 1971
Medium: Striped silk
Country: France
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Edwin Hilson
Object number: 75.94.14
DescriptionOrange, brown and black striped silk organza long shift dress with brown satin crepe half slip
Label Text:Givenchy treats this dress from 1971 as a canvas. Inspired by the work of American artist Mark Rothko. the layering of translucent hand-dyed silk organza over a matching silk under-dress produces a luminosity also present in Rothko's work. "Color Field" artists, such as Rothko, were fascinated by the emotional power of color; in their abstract paintings, they used layers of paint to create rectangular forms that conveyed emotion through the interactions of colors. This dress has "blocks" of orange, brown and black that are similar to Rothko's dark palette from the late 1950s, a color combination that, coincidentally, became a popular trend in 1970s fashion. Givenchy adds a subtle element from the "romantic" look of the early 1970s: a monochromatic hem ruffle.
In Collection(s)