Medium: Brown silk, beads, copper bracelet

Date: 1995

Country: Italy

Credit: Gift of Romeo Gigli

Romeo Gigli is best known for his poetic, historicizing fashions of the 1980s. However, he has also explored the theme of exoticism. This African-inspired ensemble draws on elements of traditional dress in Mali, Kenya, and the Sudan. The lightweight, earth-toned silks of the bra top and the pants are a somewhat subdued choice for the designer, as he abandons his use of overtly luxurious fabrics. A feeling of opulence has been achieved instead through the complex construction of the corset, highlighted through the use of striking blue and red beads. The corset also acts as a new take on the bustiers that Gigli layered over ensembles in several earlier collections.

Object Number: 97.70.1