"Compiègne"
By tacking the soft fabric to a rigid underbodice in frozen folds, the designer took full advantage of the attributes of the dress, combining strict silhouette and lissome flow. The fabric spirals around the body in a torque of drapery that is only possible through the surety of an infrastructure.
Summer residence of France's kings and queens and royal hunting grounds for centuries, Compiègne is a richly evocative place. In one of Dior's last great historicist collections, he used the mystique of Compiègne for a dress with the silhouette of the crinoline forms of the Second Empire. Its lush textile may also be an homage to the long history of such French silks and dress fabrics. Although the undeniable focus of this gown is the virtuoso wet-draping effect of the bodice, the subtle center-front inverted skirt pleat recalls Dior's earlier interest in scissorlike construction.
Summer residence of France's kings and queens and royal hunting grounds for centuries, Compiègne is a richly evocative place. In one of Dior's last great historicist collections, he used the mystique of Compiègne for a dress with the silhouette of the crinoline forms of the Second Empire. Its lush textile may also be an homage to the long history of such French silks and dress fabrics. Although the undeniable focus of this gown is the virtuoso wet-draping effect of the bodice, the subtle center-front inverted skirt pleat recalls Dior's earlier interest in scissorlike construction.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Compiègne"
- Design House: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
- Designer: Christian Dior (French, Granville 1905–1957 Montecatini)
- Date: fall/winter 1954–55
- Culture: French
- Medium: silk
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Byron C. Foy, 1956
- Object Number: C.I.56.60.7
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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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
House of Dior
Gianfranco Ferré
1990–97
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