1984
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
Dress
Autumn/winter 1984–85
Jean Paul Gaultier, French, born 1952
Black silk velvet
Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2010 (2010.155a–c)
1949
CHARLES JAMES
“Tulip” Evening Dress
1949
Charles James, American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978
Black silk satin and black silk faille
Gift of Elizabeth de Cuevas, 2015 (2015.552)
In the wake of the punk movement, fetishistic styles and underwear-inspired outerwear entered the fashion mainstream in the 1980s. Jean Paul Gaultier was an influential proponent of both trends. In this dress he was inspired by the pointed breasts of 1940s and 1950s “sweater girls,” whose figures were molded by the Perma-Lift brassiere, known as the bullet bra, which separated and lifted the breasts into conical cups. Many of Gaultier’s designs include corset details, including this dress, which laces from neckline to hem at the center back.
Charles James explored the conical bust shape in less exaggerated terms in his “Tulip” evening dress. He considered the design one of his most challenging due to its combination of seemingly incompatible fabrics—supple silk satin and stiff silk faille—and their harmonious resolution in a sleek sheath with a fountain-like flounce. James achieved the conical form of the bodice by manipulating the fabric into deep folds at the bust and eliminating other shaping seams. The transition from bust into torso appears smooth and continuous, as though this altered anatomy is an organic extension of the body.
Charles James explored the conical bust shape in less exaggerated terms in his “Tulip” evening dress. He considered the design one of his most challenging due to its combination of seemingly incompatible fabrics—supple silk satin and stiff silk faille—and their harmonious resolution in a sleek sheath with a fountain-like flounce. James achieved the conical form of the bodice by manipulating the fabric into deep folds at the bust and eliminating other shaping seams. The transition from bust into torso appears smooth and continuous, as though this altered anatomy is an organic extension of the body.