ticketsMember | Make a donation

Dress

Designer Rudi Gernreich American, born Austria
Manufacturer Harmon Knitwear American
late 1960s
Not on view
Conceptual designer Rudi Gernreich offered his clothing as a conceptual art mixed with publicity-as-art to which he was drawn as much as Dali or Warhol. He was alert to the art of his time in a full range: his bathing suits joined by heavy black tracery resemble the outlines in the early-twentieth-century paintings of Georges Rouault or the Op Art works of the 1960s. This trompe l'oeil dress is a single piece: what looks like a sweater casually thrown over the shoulders and tied at the front is actually an integral part of the dress. What is more American than such a sense of humor?

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dress
  • Designer: Rudi Gernreich (American (born Austria), Vienna 1922–1985 Los Angeles, California)
  • Manufacturer: Harmon Knitwear (American, 1960–1976)
  • Date: late 1960s
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: acrylic
  • Credit Line: Gift of Richard Martin, 1999
  • Object Number: 1999.57.1
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Bathing suit, Rudi Gernreich American, born Austria, wool, American
Bathing suit
Rudi Gernreich
Harmon Knitwear
1960s
Bathing suit, Rudi Gernreich American, born Austria, wool, American
Bathing suit
Rudi Gernreich
Westwood Knitting Mills
ca. 1968
Ensemble, Rudi Gernreich American, born Austria, silk, plastic, American
Ensemble
Rudi Gernreich
early 1970s
Skirt, Rudi Gernreich American, born Austria, cotton, American
Skirt
Rudi Gernreich
1955–59
Hood, Rudi Gernreich American, born Austria, wool, American
Hood
Rudi Gernreich
1966

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

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.