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

Date: 1969

Country: USA

Credit: Gift of Jane L. Rodgers

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."

Object Number: 2002.58.1