ticketsMember | Make a donation

Evening dress

1954
Not on view
Panels of taffeta function for Grès as gray, black, and white elements did for Whistler in his painted symphonies and arrangements. An elegant dress with crisscrossing panels of gray taffeta slightly varied in tint betrays its construction as the matrix of its apparent surfaces: the gray panels are continuous pieces that loop under to create a ballooning skirt in the manner of a helical harem skirt. Characteristically, Grès violates the side seam at the waist, where arcs cut into the waistline, visually diminishing it but also giving a sense-like that of Vionnet-of the body's three-dimensionality.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Evening dress
  • Designer: Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)
  • Date: 1954
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: silk
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Murray Graham, 1961
  • Object Number: C.I.61.39.4
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Ensemble
Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)
ca. 1982
Ensemble
Attributed to Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)
1981–83
Evening ensemble
Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)
ca. 1980
Bracelet
Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)
1960s
Evening ensemble
Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)
ca. 1968

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.