Watteau thumbnail 1
Watteau thumbnail 2
+8
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This object consists of 4 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Watteau

Evening Dress
1996 (made)
Artist/Maker
Vivienne Westwood (designer)
Place of origin
Great Britain (made)

Contemporary designers continue explore the past for inspiration. Here, Vivienne Westwood looks to the 18th century. The suggestion of side hoops and the double box-pleats at the back echo 18th century fashion. The design subverts the sack worn by women in Watteau’s paintings, yet the gown’s deliberate asymmetry, with a single off-shoulder style and a polonaise pouf on only one side, gives it a thoroughly contemporary look. A white organdie version of this dress was designed for Lady Bianca Job-Tyroan in 1994 for the Queen Charlotte’s Ball. Westwood often subverts historical references in her designs, which has led her to continually produce innovative and original clothing since her first collections in the mid-1970s.

Object details

Categories
Fashion
Evening Wear
Textiles
Womenswear
Leather
Object type
Evening dress
Parts
This object consists of 4 parts.

  • Gown
  • Skirt
  • Corset
  • Glove
Titles
  • Watteau (assigned by artist)
  • Les Femmes Collection
Materials and techniques
Shot silk faille, taffeta and deerskin
Shot Silk
Taffeta
Silk
Weaving
Brief description
Shot silk and taffeta three-piece 'Watteau' evening gown including a skirt, corset and deerskin glove, designed by Vivienne Westwood, Great Britain, 1996
Physical description
Green and lilac shot silk faille and taffeta three-piece evening gown including a skirt, corset and white deerskin glove.

The bow is pink and black shot silk
Dimensions
  • Dress length: 150cm
approximate footprint (mm): W1500 x D2200 x H1600
Credit line
Given by the designer
Production
Spring / Summer 1996
Summary
Contemporary designers continue explore the past for inspiration. Here, Vivienne Westwood looks to the 18th century. The suggestion of side hoops and the double box-pleats at the back echo 18th century fashion. The design subverts the sack worn by women in Watteau’s paintings, yet the gown’s deliberate asymmetry, with a single off-shoulder style and a polonaise pouf on only one side, gives it a thoroughly contemporary look. A white organdie version of this dress was designed for Lady Bianca Job-Tyroan in 1994 for the Queen Charlotte’s Ball. Westwood often subverts historical references in her designs, which has led her to continually produce innovative and original clothing since her first collections in the mid-1970s.
Bibliographic references
  • De La Haye, Amy, ed. The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997. London: V&A Publications, 1997. p. 83.
  • Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.438:1 to 4-1996

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Record createdAugust 21, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O83590/watteau-evening-dress-vivienne-westwood/
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