Ensemble
For the formal dinner gala held to celebrate her fiftieth wedding anniversary, Mrs. Kempner selected a white satin column by her favorite designer. As "I'm spoiled when it comes to clothes," she is quoted as saying in W for November 17, 1972. "I love comfort, great fit, simplicity, and things well made." This gown in heavy and lustrous satin epitomizes the Kempner style. It has the ease of a shirtwaist dress, its wrapped closure anchored by a large pearl button. Playing on imagery of the sea inspired by this detail, Mrs. Kempner accessorized with an evening clutch embellished with coral branches.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ensemble
- Design House: Yves Saint Laurent (French, founded 1961)
- Designer: Yves Saint Laurent (French (born Algeria) Oran 1936–2008 Paris)
- Date: fall/winter 2001–2
- Culture: French
- Medium: a) silk, pearl; b) silk, leather, metal, crystal; c) cotton, coral, crystal, metal, leather; d) silk; e) metal, pearl, crystal, glass, coral, rhinestones
- Credit Line: Gift of Thomas L. Kempner, 2006
- Object Number: 2006.420.59a–e
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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Yves Saint Laurent
fall/winter 2001–2
Yves Saint Laurent
early 1970s
Yves Saint Laurent
1967–69
Multiple artists/makers
fall/winter 2001–2
Yves Saint Laurent
early 1970s
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