Object: Evening dress
Brand:
Paco Rabanne
(French, founded 1966)
Designer:
Paco Rabanne
(1934 - 2023)
Date: c. 1966
Medium: Plastic and metal
Country: France
Credit Line: Gift of Montgomery Ward
Object number: 81.48.1
DescriptionChain mail evening dress of silver and black plastic paillettes with metal links; mini length, sleeveless, with tank neck and flared skirt
Label Text:Paco Rabanne was a leading experimental designer in the 1960s. Eschewing traditional materials, he meticulously crafted pieces of plastic and metal into a kind of futuristic armor. Rabanne’s radical aesthetic and disregard for tradition caused controversy, but his work later inspired designers such as Helmut Lang and Yohji Yamamoto.
Exhibitions:
- Paris Refashioned, 1957-1968
- 50 Years of Fashion, 1947 - 1997
- Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT (Part Two)