1919
WEEKS
Evening Dress
Ca. 1919
Weeks, French
Black silk satin and ivory silk chiffon overlaid with black silk tulle embroidered with gelatin sequins and metal strip, and pink silk tulle embroidered with crystals and silk-and-metal thread
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of the estate of Mrs. Arthur F. Schermerhorn, 1957 (2009.300.3569)
2014
THOM BROWNE
Ensemble
Spring/summer 2014
Thom Browne, American, born 1965
Coat of black silk-synthetic plain weave embroidered with black crystals, beads, paillettes, and metal thread; skirt of black cotton synthetic compound weave embroidered with black bugle beads
Gift of Thom Browne, in celebration of
the Museum’s 150th Anniversary, 2020
The final shape to emerge during World War I was the barrel skirt, introduced in 1917. Wide at the hips and narrow at the hem, the style required relatively modest amounts of fabric, a precious commodity during the war. This barrel-skirted dress of satin overlaid with lavishly sequined silk tulle illustrates society’s generally lightened spirit and the fashion industry’s renewed quest for beauty as the war came to a close.
Thom Browne is best known for the meticulous construction and distinctive proportions of his menswear, and since 2011 has applied equal precision and artistry to womenswear. This ensemble from Browne’s spring/summer 2014 collection features the short-lived, idiosyncratic barrel shape, with exaggerated curves supported by a network of buttress-like seams at the bodice, waist, and hips. Though its strict tailoring contrasts with the draped construction of its predecessor, its lustrous silk-synthetic fabric and pearl and metal-thread embroidery match the delicacy of its surface.
Thom Browne is best known for the meticulous construction and distinctive proportions of his menswear, and since 2011 has applied equal precision and artistry to womenswear. This ensemble from Browne’s spring/summer 2014 collection features the short-lived, idiosyncratic barrel shape, with exaggerated curves supported by a network of buttress-like seams at the bodice, waist, and hips. Though its strict tailoring contrasts with the draped construction of its predecessor, its lustrous silk-synthetic fabric and pearl and metal-thread embroidery match the delicacy of its surface.