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Renaissance Cloth of Gold Crinoline

Ball Gown
1981 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Zandra Rhodes is renowned for her romantic and lavishly embellished evening clothes. In The Observer (9 October 1977) she was described as 'the most original and fearless of British designers, admired for her dedication to doing what she feels'. This innovative creation was part of her Elizabethan Collection shown in Autumn/Winter 1981. The dress can be worn in two ways, with the under-panniers used as a support for the skirt (as in the image) or with the under-panniers removed and the bodice, which has a peplum (an extension), worn outside the skirt. Zandra Rhodes studied 18th-century panniers in the V&A before completing this 'Renaissance crinoline'.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 4 parts.

  • Jacket
  • Petticoat
  • Skirt
  • Apron
Titles
  • Renaissance Cloth of Gold Crinoline
  • Elizabethan (named collection)
Materials and techniques
Printed quilted satin, printed silk net and knife-pleated polyamide/polyester/lamé mix
Brief description
Quilted satin bodice, polyamide, polyester and lamé skirt and panniers over printed silk tulle, 'Renaissance Cloth of Gold Crinoline' from 'Elizabethan' designed by Zandra Rhodes, London, 1981
Physical description
Evening dress consisting of a jacket, skirt, petticoat and apron. Black printed quilted satin bodice, gold pleated polyamide polyester and lamé skirt and paniers over black printed silk tulle.
Dimensionsapproximate footprint (mm): W900 x D550 x H1600
Production typeHaute couture
Gallery label
  • Inspired by the splendours of Elizabethan dress, Zandra Rhodes used a glitzy, modern synthetic fibre to rework the styles of earlier epochs. Swirls resembling large exotic shells sit poised at the shoulders, and extravagant overpanniers balance on the hips of this dramatic evening dress. Zandra Rhodes was at the forefront of the revival for hooped and corsetted fashions with this 1981 design.(1997)
  • Zandra Rhodes's 1981 Elizabethan collection was inspired by historic garments in the V&A. Her idea was to recreate panniers, lightweight petticoats with boning supports, to be worn under the voluminous dresses. Wearers could then forego layers of petticoats usually required to aschieve the full-skirted look. This dress, titled 'Renaissance Cloth of Gold', consists of a bustier jacket, double-layer skirt and a belted apron which forms two fluted gold hip panels either side of the skirt. Zandra Rhodes wore a version of this dress to the opening of London's Barbican Centre in 1982.(25/07/2012)
Credit line
Given by the designer
Production
Autumn/Winter 1981
Summary
Zandra Rhodes is renowned for her romantic and lavishly embellished evening clothes. In The Observer (9 October 1977) she was described as 'the most original and fearless of British designers, admired for her dedication to doing what she feels'. This innovative creation was part of her Elizabethan Collection shown in Autumn/Winter 1981. The dress can be worn in two ways, with the under-panniers used as a support for the skirt (as in the image) or with the under-panniers removed and the bodice, which has a peplum (an extension), worn outside the skirt. Zandra Rhodes studied 18th-century panniers in the V&A before completing this 'Renaissance crinoline'.
Bibliographic reference
de la Haye, Amy, ed. The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997. Victoria and Albert Publications, London, 1997, p. 82.
Collection
Accession number
T.124 to C-1983

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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