1983
KARL LAGERFELD
for CHANEL
Dress
Spring/summer 1983, edition 2015
Chanel, French, founded 1913
Karl Lagerfeld, French, born Germany, 1933–2019
Black silk crepe embroidered with trompe
l’oeil necklaces, bracelets, and belts of pearls, clear crystals, and polychrome beads
Gift of CHANEL, in honor of Harold Koda, 2016 (2016.632)
2019
SARAH BURTON
for ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Ensemble
Autumn/winter 2019–20
Alexander McQueen, British, founded 1992
Sarah Burton, British, born 1974
Tunic of black cotton net embroidered with polychrome crystals in the shape of earrings; trousers of black wool
twill appliquéd with black silk satin
Courtesy Alexander McQueen
In the 1920s Gabrielle Chanel produced and promoted costume jewelry to decorate her modernist designs. Originally considered déclassé, her paste brooches, cuffed bracelets, and ropes of faux pearls became integral to the interplay between clothing and accessories that defined the Chanel look. When Karl Lagerfeld was appointed creative director of the house in 1982, he announced his dedication to retaining Chanel’s signature elements with this black dress adorned with a profusion of trompe l’oeil costume jewelry. The embroidery, by the House of Lesage, uses an intricate mix of beads, pearls, and crystals to create necklaces, bracelets, and belts. Wittily, the decorative “necklaces” also serve as a structural means of neckline support for the weight of the dress.
In this ensemble from Sarah Burton’s autumn/winter 2019–20 collection for Alexander McQueen, the designer embroiders a simple black tunic with a field of polychrome crystals that imitate the appearance of paste earrings. In recent collections, Burton has looked for inspiration in the traditions of northern England, where she was raised. The embroidery here was influenced by mid-twentieth-century crystal chandeliers found in the gilded ballrooms of Blackpool, England.
In this ensemble from Sarah Burton’s autumn/winter 2019–20 collection for Alexander McQueen, the designer embroiders a simple black tunic with a field of polychrome crystals that imitate the appearance of paste earrings. In recent collections, Burton has looked for inspiration in the traditions of northern England, where she was raised. The embroidery here was influenced by mid-twentieth-century crystal chandeliers found in the gilded ballrooms of Blackpool, England.