2005
VIKTOR & ROLF
Ensemble
Spring/summer 2005
Viktor & Rolf, Dutch, founded 1993
Black wool-silk twill trimmed with black wool, plastic, and Lurex bows
Centraal Museum, Utrecht
1939
MADELEINE VIONNET
Evening Dress
1939
Madeleine Vionnet, French, 1876–1975
Dress of black cotton lace appliquéd with black silk velvet bows; slip of silver silk lamé
Gift of Mrs. Harrison Williams, 1952 (C.I.52.24.2a, b)
Embroidery and ornament have been a particular focus for Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren of Viktor & Rolf since their first collections in the early 1990s, and they remained an important outlet for the designers’ experimentations in the 2000s. Bows and ribbons in shades of black and pink were the primary feature of the duo’s spring/summer 2005 “Flowerbomb” collection. This suit, likely inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s “Le Smoking,” features bows of fantastic proportions from the shoulder to the ankle, taking what has long been a traditional motif in the haute couture and pushing it to its limit.
While Viktor & Rolf’s expansive bows overtake the design—and, indeed, the wearer—Madeleine Vionnet’s more understated appliqués are intended to harmonize with the fabric ground and the structure of the dress as well as with the body itself. In this dress from 1939, Vionnet transforms the functional bow at the neck into a decorative motif rendered in black velvet on lace. In a subtle gesture, she repeats the bow shape in graduated proportions adjusted to the silhouette of the dress. The delicacy of the velvet appliqués ensures that they do not disturb the soft drape of the diaphanous cotton lace.
While Viktor & Rolf’s expansive bows overtake the design—and, indeed, the wearer—Madeleine Vionnet’s more understated appliqués are intended to harmonize with the fabric ground and the structure of the dress as well as with the body itself. In this dress from 1939, Vionnet transforms the functional bow at the neck into a decorative motif rendered in black velvet on lace. In a subtle gesture, she repeats the bow shape in graduated proportions adjusted to the silhouette of the dress. The delicacy of the velvet appliqués ensures that they do not disturb the soft drape of the diaphanous cotton lace.