Evening dress

Couture Line House of Dior French
Design House House of Dior French
Designer John Galliano British
fall/winter 2002–3
Not on view
Originally shown in a state of such asymmetrical slippage as to expose one breast, this dress, in its transit from the runway to its haute-couture client, has stabilized its relationship to the body. The decorative zone of cording and knotted openwork, once loosely shifting on the upper hipbone, is now anchored at the waist. The lining is cleverly pieced to preserve the effect of the garment's bareness while securing the wearer's modesty.

In his use of tie-dye and macramé effects, Galliano clearly alludes to 1967 and the "Summer of Love," while also suggesting the softly draped disco dresses of the period that followed. Galliano's handkerchief hemlines play with the coquettish exposure of the legs and introduce the possibility of animation on the dance floor.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Evening dress
  • Couture Line: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
  • Design House: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
  • Designer: John Galliano (British, born Gibraltar, 1960)
  • Date: fall/winter 2002–3
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: silk
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Randolph Hearst, 2004
  • Object Number: 2004.323.1
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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