Evening ensemble

Despite the preponderance of plain and unpatterned, albeit luxurious, textiles in her wardrobe, Mrs. Kempner on occasion selected the more hyper-feminized impact of delicate lacework or opulently printed silks. The Christian Lacroix gown, with its collage of sumptuous lace and silks of different weights and weaves, retains the couturier's signature interest in rich textural juxtapositions. On the other hand, Mrs. Kempner's selection of a model leached of the bright colors for which the designer is also known and of a narrow silhouette with which he is even less associated suggests the eye of a client who is able to select from a collection the specific models that conform to the parameters of her clearly identifiable aesthetic.