Evening dress
Attributed to Alix French
Attributed to Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) French
Not on view
Madame Alix Gres' career spanned nearly five decades and throughout them all she excelled in her ability to manipulate fabric and use its innate characteristics to enhance her designs. Silk jersey, the fabric of choice for her classically inspired, form-fitting gowns, allowed her to experiment with draping and gathering. The ingenious construction of this bodice shows Grès' early interest in creative pleating. The front of the gown is reminiscent of a chiton, which was worn gathered and pinned at the shoulders and girdled at the waist. Here, however, the gathers are pleats that extend over the shoulders and frame a large cutout in the back. As an early example of her work, it emphasizes two design characteristics Gres would return to again and again: sculptural pleating and cut-out forms.
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