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Ensemble

Design House Gucci Italian
Designer Tom Ford American
fall/winter 1996–97
Not on view
Tom Ford's fall/winter 1996–97 collection for Gucci was a watershed moment which brought a sensual minimalism and hedonist flair to the second half of a decade primarily defined by grunge and deconstructionist aesthetics. The ovoid hole in the floor-length and long-sleeved dress, reveals Ford's signature thong hugging the waist. The Gucci thong precipitated a wave of logomania. Vogue dubbed Ford's seminal collection the "equivalent of a one-night stand at Studio 54" and this body-conscious gown is indeed a nod to the 1970s aesthetic of American minimalist Halston, renowned for his glamorous designs for the Studio 54 crowd.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ensemble
  • Design House: Gucci (Italian, founded 1921)
  • Designer: Tom Ford (American, born 1961)
  • Date: fall/winter 1996–97
  • Culture: Italian
  • Medium: (a) silk, (b) silk, metal
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.370a, b
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
Ensemble, Gucci  Italian, (a) silk, (b) synthetic, (c) metal, Italian
On loan to The Met
Design House Gucci
Designer Alessandro Michele
resort 2020
Armor, Steel, copper alloy, textile, leather, Italian
Italian
ca. 1400–1450 and later
Ensemble, Undercover  Japanese, (a) silk, nylon, cotton, rayon, metal, glass, (b) silk, nylon, (c) silk, (d) nylon, metal, Japanese
Design House Undercover
Designer Jun Takahashi
fall/winter 2017–18
Belt, Gucci  Italian, leather, metal, Italian
Design House Gucci
last quarter 20th century
Composed Armor, Julian Arrechia  Spanish, Steel, copper alloy (latten), leather, Italian
Armorer Left tasset made by Julian Arrechia
Armorer Left pauldron made by Raymond Bartel
ca. 1450–60 and later, restored and composed in the 1920s

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