Evening Dress
1996 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This spectacular dress was given to the Museum very shortly after its first appearance on Lacroix's catwalk in the autumn 1996 Paris fashion shows.
Christian Lacroix opened his haute couture house in 1986. His luxurious fashions, typified by this hooped evening dress, reflect an abiding passion for historical styles, ornate textiles, and elaborate decoration, all of which he translates in a contemporary idiom.
In a striking palette of acidic yellow and pastels, the dress forms part of Lacroix's "18th-Century Haute Couture Collection," which draws on a wide range of pre-1968 fashion references. Lacroix describes this collection as elegant and slightly dishevelled: "Nothing seems to be held in place. The fabric is wrapped. It pirouettes around obstinately asymmetrical necklines."
Christian Lacroix opened his haute couture house in 1986. His luxurious fashions, typified by this hooped evening dress, reflect an abiding passion for historical styles, ornate textiles, and elaborate decoration, all of which he translates in a contemporary idiom.
In a striking palette of acidic yellow and pastels, the dress forms part of Lacroix's "18th-Century Haute Couture Collection," which draws on a wide range of pre-1968 fashion references. Lacroix describes this collection as elegant and slightly dishevelled: "Nothing seems to be held in place. The fabric is wrapped. It pirouettes around obstinately asymmetrical necklines."
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Chiné-printed silk taffeta and lace, embroidered with sequins, pastes and beads |
| Brief description | Evening dress in chiné-printed and embroidered silk taffeta and lace, and machine-lace sleeve, designed by Christian Lacroix, Paris 1996 |
| Physical description | Evening Dress in chiné-printed silk taffeta and lace, and embroidered with sequins, pastes and beads. With sleeve in machine lace. |
| Credit line | Given by the designer |
| Summary | This spectacular dress was given to the Museum very shortly after its first appearance on Lacroix's catwalk in the autumn 1996 Paris fashion shows. Christian Lacroix opened his haute couture house in 1986. His luxurious fashions, typified by this hooped evening dress, reflect an abiding passion for historical styles, ornate textiles, and elaborate decoration, all of which he translates in a contemporary idiom. In a striking palette of acidic yellow and pastels, the dress forms part of Lacroix's "18th-Century Haute Couture Collection," which draws on a wide range of pre-1968 fashion references. Lacroix describes this collection as elegant and slightly dishevelled: "Nothing seems to be held in place. The fabric is wrapped. It pirouettes around obstinately asymmetrical necklines." |
| Bibliographic reference | Baker, Malcolm, and Brenda Richardson (eds.), A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A Publications, 1999.
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.435:1, 2-1996 |
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| Record created | November 7, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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