Evening caftan
Designer
Halston
(1932 - 1990)
c. 1977
Nylon marquisette, glass bugle beads, and beige silk
Gift of Frederick Supper
Object number82.3.1
Halston did much to advance great dressmaking using simple, rectilinear pattern pieces. This red beaded, silk caftan, which began as a long, parallelogram-shaped piece of fabric, was folded in half along the bias, forming the shoulder and neckline, and then folded again and stitched in a straight seam, front and back, to form a kind of envelope. This dress exemplifies how Halston adhered to his minimalist aesthetic, no matter how complicated the pattern.
DescriptionGown: red bugle beaded nylon marquisette; floor length; self piped jewel neckline; long dolman sleeve variation; no shoulder seam; front and back bias, but in one; center back neckline hook and eye closing. Coordinating underslip; beige silk georgette; Hollywood neckline with spaghetti straps; fitted to waist with slight A-line floor length skirt; sideseam bust darts; three layers; left sideseam snap closingExhibitions