1895
MRS. ARNOLD
Dinner Dress
Ca. 1895
Mrs. Arnold, American
Black silk satin trimmed with black silk net lace
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Sally Ingalls, 1932 (2009.300.643a, b)
2004
COMME DES GARÇONS
Ensemble
Autumn/winter 2004–5
Comme des Garçons, Japanese, founded 1969
Jacket of black cupra-silk satin and synthetic taffeta; top of black synthetic tulle; skirt of black wool-silk satin and white cotton muslin
Gift of Comme des Garçons, 2020
The leg o’ mutton sleeve came into vogue in the early 1890s and appeared in every form of dress, whether daywear, outerwear, sportswear, or, in this case, sumptuous eveningwear. The style’s amplified shoulders were accentuated by a narrow waist that along with a flared skirt formed the period’s hourglass silhouette. This expertly tailored and finely finished dinner dress of black silk satin was made by the Brooklyn dressmaker Mrs. Arnold. With its lace embellishment, self-fabric bows, and ample sleeves, the dress epitomizes the exuberant character of 1890s fashions.
This ensemble by Rei Kawakubo reads as a surrealistic reimagining of Mrs. Arnold’s exemplary silhouette. It essentially comprises two 1890s-inspired bodices with elegant leg o’ mutton sleeves, one worn as a jacket and one as a skirt. The jacket is cut asymmetrically, creating misaligned closures and a displaced sleeve, as if the wearer dressed hastily. A similar disorder is reflected in the skirt, with sleeves dangling at the front and back. By deconstructing a fashionable ideal of the past, Kawakubo seems to challenge and even invalidate the ideals of the present.
This ensemble by Rei Kawakubo reads as a surrealistic reimagining of Mrs. Arnold’s exemplary silhouette. It essentially comprises two 1890s-inspired bodices with elegant leg o’ mutton sleeves, one worn as a jacket and one as a skirt. The jacket is cut asymmetrically, creating misaligned closures and a displaced sleeve, as if the wearer dressed hastily. A similar disorder is reflected in the skirt, with sleeves dangling at the front and back. By deconstructing a fashionable ideal of the past, Kawakubo seems to challenge and even invalidate the ideals of the present.