Evening gown, 1978
Madame Grès (French, 1903–1993)
Green silk jersey and green silk velvet
Artist Biography
Technical Glossary
Madame Grès (French, 1903–1993)
Green silk jersey and green silk velvet
(a) L. at center back 59 in. (149.8 cm), (b) L. at center front 29 in. (73.7 cm)
Gift of Chessy Rayner, 1997 (1997.116.1a,b)
A number of fashion designers have referenced the reduced scale of Artemis' himation, which was folded over into the style of a man's chlamys. Madame Grès took a square of velvet to knot at the shoulder, but also to wrap around the waist as a sarong. She kept to the notion of the short chlamys-like himation as a separate element of dress. More recent designers have taken the effect of the overmantle and incorporated it into the construction of the gown itself.
