Ensemble

Various artists/makers

Not on view

Griffe, who had worked with Vionnet, permitted the graduated structural elements to become ornament. Far more grandiloquent than Vionnet and, in the manner of the 1950s, returning to crinoline-like shaping and picturesque resplendence in fashion, Griffe created a full skirt with welt tuckes that encase bands of horsehair. One feature of this period is that the horsehair progresses very subtly from narrow to wider, demonstrating the sophisticated resources of the couture. Arguably, every skill of the couture flourished in the 1950s, and dresses seem to celebrate the métiers in an almost self-concious flamboyance.

Ensemble, Griffe of Paris (French), silk, cotton, leather, nylon, French

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