Evening dress
Lars Nilsson has created an overall Hellenic effect in his design's conjunction of nudity, simplicity, drapery, and, most importantly, a girdled waist, here marked by dark bugle beaded bands. The classical midriff is interpreted in a way that introduces an element of contemporaneity to the venerable form. In Nilsson's design, the beaded bands do not meet at center front, terminating instead in skewed, sharply angled ends. This unpredictable detail adds a provocative deconstructivist quality to the gown of otherwise old-school suavity.
Artwork Details
- Title: Evening dress
- Design House: Bill Blass Ltd. (American, founded 1970)
- Designer: Lars Nilsson (American, born Sweden, 1966)
- Date: 2002
- Culture: American
- Medium: silk,glass
- Credit Line: Gift of Bill Blass, Ltd., 2003
- Object Number: 2003.202
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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