Evening dress
Designer
Jean Paul Gaultier
(born 1952)
c. 1987
Cotton, nylon, and satin
Museum purchase
Object number98.98.1
Jean Paul Gaultier’s interest in lingerie can be traced back to his childhood, when he discovered his grandmother’s corset. “From that moment I became fascinated by the idea of transforming one’s body with clothes,” he recalled. Gaultier’s body-conscious dresses, inspired by girdles and corsets, helped to ignite a trend for underwear-as-outerwear during the 1980s.
DescriptionCorset dress in peach pink cotton / nylon stretch fabric; padded underwire bra, topstitched satin bodice inset, big zip at front neck and back hem; CB lacingsExhibitions