Ensemble

spring/summer 1985

Not on view

John Galliano’s approach to historical dress and non-Western types of dress echoes the magpie approach of the nineteenth-century figure of the ragpicker who found beauty in urban detritus. The collection "Afghanistan repudiates Western ideals" was inspired by a 1920s Punch caricature of a furious Afghan native jumping on a Western bowler hat, and referred to the melting pot of Eastern (Hindu, Muslim) cultures Galliano was surrounded by in his studio in London’s East End. In a self-referential gesture, he revisited elements from his 1984 graduation show, such as hems buttoned up and down and outsized sleeves, and introduced muslins in saffron or dark reds, dyed “the colour of dried blood” and bold Madras stripes.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Title: Ensemble
Design House: John Galliano (founded 1984)
Designer: John Galliano (British, born Gibraltar, 1960)
Date: spring/summer 1985
Culture: British
Medium: (a) wool, cotton, horn, (b) cotton, mother-of-pearl, (c) cotton, mother-of-pearl, (d) cotton, mother-of-pearl
Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2020
Object Number: 2020.60a–d
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

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Dress, John Galliano, silk, British — Dress
John Galliano
spring/summer 1992

Jacket, John Galliano, viscose, polyamide, elastane, British — Jacket
John Galliano
spring/summer 1993

Shirt, John Galliano, cotton, linen, mother-of-pearl, British — Shirt
John Galliano
fall/winter 1985–86

Ensemble, John Galliano, (a) wool, synthetic, mohair, wood; (b) wool, synthetic, mohair, British — Ensemble
John Galliano
fall/winter 1985–86

Ensemble, John Galliano, (a) cotton, silk, cork, shell, wool; (b) cotton, synthetic, British — Ensemble
John Galliano
fall/winter 1985–86

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