2006
UNDERCOVER
Ensemble
Autumn/winter 2006–7
Undercover, Japanese, founded 1990
Shirt of black silk satin; stole of black wool and silk
dobby, gabardine, and satin repurposed jackets; trousers of black wool, nylon, and cashmere twill;
face mask of black cotton twill with metal embellishments
Purchase, Gould Family Foundation Gift,
in memory of Jo Copeland, 2013 (2013.575a–e)
1949
CHRISTIAN DIOR
Evening Dress
Autumn/winter 1949–50 haute couture
Christian Dior, French, 1905–1957
Black wool uncut pile and black silk faille
Gift of Rosamond Bernier, 1989 (1989.130.1a, b)
Designer Jun Takahashi of Undercover credits the unconventional construction techniques in Rei Kawakubo’s and Martin Margiela’s early work as inspiration for his first womenswear collections in the 1990s. Like those designers’ fashions, Takahashi’s conceptual designs continue to challenge traditional standards of beauty and elegance. His autumn/winter 2006–7 collection featured full-length gowns collaged from elements of existing garments. This dress is made of vintage tuxedo jackets with the sleeves removed and the unpicked seam edges left unfinished. The jackets are sewn end to end and wrapped in a spiral around the body, binding the arms like a straitjacket.
Christian Dior’s reference to the tuxedo in this evening gown from autumn/winter 1949–50 has less oppressive connotations. Though best known for his hyperfeminine silhouettes, Dior adapted many of his greatest designs from menswear. Like Takahashi, here he has reduced the tuxedo to its component parts and redistributed them. The black wool sheath is accented with silk faille, a reference to the ribbed silks used in tuxedo lapels and cummerbunds. Rather than constrict the body, the silk panel drapes gently across the waist and buttons at the back of the hips, allowing the fabric to fall loosely to the ankles.
Christian Dior’s reference to the tuxedo in this evening gown from autumn/winter 1949–50 has less oppressive connotations. Though best known for his hyperfeminine silhouettes, Dior adapted many of his greatest designs from menswear. Like Takahashi, here he has reduced the tuxedo to its component parts and redistributed them. The black wool sheath is accented with silk faille, a reference to the ribbed silks used in tuxedo lapels and cummerbunds. Rather than constrict the body, the silk panel drapes gently across the waist and buttons at the back of the hips, allowing the fabric to fall loosely to the ankles.