Evening set
Designer
Zandra Rhodes
(born 1940)
1981
Gold lamé
Gift of Mr. Bouke De Vries
Object number91.158.1
Zandra Rhodes' work frequently cites ethnic fashions, but here the focus is on her own British heritage. Rhodes' 1981 collection, with its historically evocative silhouettes, drew inspiration partly from the wedding of Diana Spencer to England's Prince Charles. The two-piece ensemble, a cropped jacket and camisole dress with a flared, asymmetrical skirt, is done entirely in brilliant, eye-catching gold lamé. The use of ruffles, spirals, and sunburst knife-pleating lends a fanciful and romantic - albeit heavily ornamented - air to the garments. Rhodes' reinterpretation of the lavishness of English court costume is both in keeping with the excess in dress that was characteristic of the 1980s and reflective of her imaginative design aesthetic.
DescriptionElizabethan evening set in gold lamé; long, flared camisole dress and cropped vest jacket with ornament of ruffles, spirals and sunburst knife pleatsCollections
Exhibitions