"SUMIE"

Hanae Mori, the pioneering postwar designer known for making Western-style clothes for the Japanese market, also presented evening garments inspired by kimonos in New York and Paris beginning in 1965. Her signature style was sophisticated and feminine, inspired by Edo-period (1615–1868) fashions. The Sumie dress exemplifies Mori’s incorporation of Japanese culture into Western-style evening wear. Its primary motif comes from sumi-e, the Japanese art of monochrome ink painting, with cursive calligraphic characters and bold brushstrokes evocative of classical artworks. The wide, kimonolike sleeves likewise refer to Japanese culture, while the translucent fabric is a more typically Western feature, attesting to Mori’s position connecting East and West.



On view from October 22, 2022–February 20, 2023