"Pouch" Dress

fall/winter 1986–87

Not on view

This "Pouch" dress was part of John Galliano's fall/winter 1986–87 collection, The Forgotten Innocents, which was based on Victorian crime stories and zoomed in on its victims. The collection was a watershed moment in fashion history, which established Galliano as an avant-garde designer. The collection teemed with the tension between "Innocence and Experience," a romantic energy which is characteristic of Galliano's dramatic designs. Fabrics ranged from muslin dresses to heavier fabrics such as this Prince of Wales wool. The bodice and sleeves of this dress are cut in a circular method, which Galliano took from the tailoring techniques of Savile Row and exaggerated, in order to deconstruct classic tailoring techniques, thereby breaking up preconceived notions of how things can be worn. The experimental cut of the dress reveals a pouch when seen in profile, an example of technical ingenuity as well as an allusion to the hidden corners and dark secrets of the Victorian imagination.

Artwork Details

Overview

Title: "Pouch" Dress
Design House: John Galliano (founded 1984)
Designer: John Galliano (British, born Gibraltar, 1960)
Date: fall/winter 1986–87
Culture: British
Medium: wool
Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2019
Object Number: 2019.254
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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