Ensemble

fall/winter 1999–2000

Not on view

The early works of Olivier Theyskens, whose ready-to-wear designs are imbued with “the couture spirit” already contain the elements of his signature, which would propel him to become the artistic director of French heritage houses like Rochas, Nina Ricci and Azzarro. These elements include the hooks and eyes closure, a rigorous research and reinterpretation of historic corsetry, a predilection for the color black and a Gothic, northern European sensibility. Enveloping the body and head in a single protective and rigid black linen sheath, this garment echoes the iconography of the Southern Netherlandish paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries. Black became a fashionable color for the nobility and the bourgeoisie following the Spanish court fashions of Philip II of Spain, whose stern rule was personified by his black attire.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Title: Ensemble
Designer: Olivier Theyskens (Belgian, born 1977)
Date: fall/winter 1999–2000
Culture: Belgian
Medium: (a) linen, plastic, cotton, metal; (b) linen, metal; (c, d) leather
Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2020
Object Number: 2020.206a–d
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

By Olivier Theyskens

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Ensemble, Olivier Theyskens Belgian, (a, b) silk, metal; (c, d) leather, metal, Belgian — Ensemble
Olivier Theyskens
spring/summer 1999

Ensemble, Olivier Theyskens Belgian, (a) wool, synthetic fiber, horsehair, metal; (b) wool, metal, Belgian — Ensemble
Olivier Theyskens
spring/summer 1999

Ensemble, Olivier Theyskens Belgian, (a) cotton, jet, metal; (b) silk, jet, mother-of-pearl; (c) leather, synthetic fiber, metal; (d, e) leather, plastic, Belgian — Ensemble
Olivier Theyskens
spring/summer 1998

"Fleurs Fanées", Olivier Theyskens Belgian, silk, Belgian — "Fleurs Fanées"
Olivier Theyskens
spring/summer 2022

Ensemble, Olivier Theyskens Belgian, (a) silk, (b) silk, (c, d) silk, (e) silk, (f, g) silk, metal, plastic, (h, i) leather, silk, Belgian — Ensemble
Olivier Theyskens
fall/winter 2000–01

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