Evening dress
Madame Alix Grès' career spanned five decades and throughout she excelled in the ability to manipulate fabric and use its innate characteristics to enhance her designs. She introduced her classically inspired evening gowns in the 1930s, using drapable silk jersey to create the body-skimming form. She would return to that form again and again, constantly reviving and renewing its shape. Here the soft gathers of the 1930s have evolved into tight, disciplined pleats in the 1960s. Gres lets the razor-thin pleats of the bodice flow into a beautiful arrangement of scallops along the neckline, giving the piece a timeless, sculptural appearance.
Artwork Details
- Title: Evening dress
- Designer: Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)
- Date: ca. 1968
- Culture: French
- Medium: silk
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Douglas Auchincloss, 1985
- Object Number: 2009.300.1017
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)
ca. 1982
Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)
1981–83
Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)
ca. 1980
Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)
1960s
Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)
ca. 1968
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.