ticketsMember | Make a donation

Evening dress

Design House House of Givenchy French
Designer Hubert de Givenchy French
1968–69
Not on view
The feathers of this dress are stripped down to the tip to create an artificial profile. Indicative of the couture in seeking an improvement even on nature, these contrived feathers elaborate on the feathers' natural shaping to create a self-conscious artifice. The shorter feathers have been anchored into a scallop pattern that overlaps to imitate a scale or coat in nature, but there is no element left to chance or to nature's carelessness. The longer plumes are affixed at the stem to be tremblant and animated on the dress.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Evening dress
  • Design House: House of Givenchy (French, founded 1952)
  • Designer: Hubert de Givenchy (French, Beauvais 1927–2018 Paris)
  • Date: 1968–69
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: silk, feathers
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Claus von Bülow, 1971
  • Object Number: 1971.79.4
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Scarf, House of Givenchy French, silk, French
Scarf
House of Givenchy
1954
Gloves, House of Givenchy French, silk, synthetic, French
Gloves
House of Givenchy
Alexander McQueen
fall/winter 1997–98
Cocktail ensemble, House of Givenchy French, silk, French
Cocktail ensemble
House of Givenchy
Hubert de Givenchy
spring/summer 1953
Cocktail ensemble, House of Givenchy French, silk, French
Cocktail ensemble
House of Givenchy
Hubert de Givenchy
1965–67
Coat, House of Givenchy French, (a) wool; (b) leather, French
Coat
House of Givenchy
Hubert de Givenchy
mid-1960s

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.