Dress

Designer Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) French

1971

Not on view

Alix Grès was a designer of diverse tastes, but one whose work always reflected her fascination with the complexities of a garment's cut and structure. She was most widely known for her finely pleated silk jersey dresses such as this particularly representative example. Grès began the draping of such gowns with a boned underbodice, very much like a supple corset. She manipulated and loosely tacked the tightly arranged pleats to this base by hand. Generally, the jersey was worked in parallel vertical panels running from the shoulders to the hem of the gown. In this design, the horizontal pleating at the bodice is composed of separate inserts, but the "braided" bands that extend to form shoulder straps are continuous with the skirt.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Exhibition History

Title: Dress
Designer: Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)
Date: 1971
Culture: French
Medium: silk
Credit Line: Gift of Thomas L. Kempner, 2006
Object Number: 2006.420.6
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

By Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Evening dress, Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) French, silk, French — Evening dress
Designer Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)
1958

Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome, Henri-Joseph Harpignies French, Pen and black ink, brush, gray and blue-gray washes — Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome
Henri-Joseph Harpignies
1856

Dress, Yohji Yamamoto Japanese, silk, Japanese — Dress
Designer Yohji Yamamoto
spring/summer 2005

Necklace, Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) French, metal, French — Necklace
Designer Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)
Manufacturer Goossens
1969–71

Violin or Viola Bow, Brazilwood, other materials, French — Violin or Viola Bow
French
late 19th or early 20th century

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