"Gruau"
In addition to the full bouffant skirts he debuted in the "Corolle" collection of 1947, Christian Dior also often worked with an asymmetrical design aesthetic, particularly in the 1948-1949 collections. This gown from 1949 is characteristic of this style, in which the gown appears to be twisted around the body. Decorative buttons on the skirt and bodice are used to heighten the effect and to unify the two components of the dress, which are separate pieces. A hallmark of Dior's designs, the self belt, draws attention to the cinched waist. Dior named the dress design after his friend the artist René Gruau (1909-2004) who provided illustrations for early Dior advertising.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Gruau"
- Design House: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
- Designer: Christian Dior (French, Granville 1905–1957 Montecatini)
- Date: fall/winter 1949–50
- Culture: French
- Medium: silk
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Henry Rogers Benjamin, 1965
- Object Number: 2009.300.2043a–c
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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House of Dior
Christian Dior
fall/winter 1949–50
Multiple artists/makers
fall/winter 1961–62
House of Dior
Marc Bohan
1980s
House of Dior
Christian Dior
spring/summer 1955
House of Dior
Gianfranco Ferré
spring/summer 1993
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