1988
PATRICK KELLY
Dress
Autumn/winter 1988–89
Patrick Kelly, American, 1954–1990
Black wool knit embellished with synthetic pearls
Purchase, Millia Davenport and Zipporah Fleisher Fund, 2020
2012
OLIVIER ROUSTEING
for BALMAIN
Dress
Autumn/winter 2012–13
Balmain, French, founded 1945
Olivier Rousteing, French, born 1985
Navy blue synthetic knit embroidered with synthetic pearls, Swarovski crystals, and metallic beads
Gift of Balmain, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary, 2020
In 1988 Patrick Kelly became the first American designer admitted to the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, the governing body for the French fashion industry. His exuberant collections, first presented in Paris in 1986, drew on his Blackness, rural southern background, and the varied inspirations outlined in his famed “Love List.” Pearls appeared on the list of the designer’s favorite things among Grandmothers, Gardenias, Popcorn, and Big Overalls, and are applied here in the form of a heart at the bodice.
Kelly developed a high-low aesthetic that extended to his interpretation of traditional couture techniques. Rather than the fine feathers and paillettes used by the ateliers, Kelly’s embroideries feature plastic buttons and novelty ornaments. Though the graphic effect is similar, the simplicity of the heart-shaped arrangement of plastic pearls contrasts sharply with the complexity of Olivier Rousteing’s Versailles-inspired design for Balmain, which is embroidered with thousands of pearls and crystals. First shown in 2012, the dress was presented again in the autumn/winter 2020–21 couture season as a tribute to the Parisian house and the skill of its artisans.
Kelly developed a high-low aesthetic that extended to his interpretation of traditional couture techniques. Rather than the fine feathers and paillettes used by the ateliers, Kelly’s embroideries feature plastic buttons and novelty ornaments. Though the graphic effect is similar, the simplicity of the heart-shaped arrangement of plastic pearls contrasts sharply with the complexity of Olivier Rousteing’s Versailles-inspired design for Balmain, which is embroidered with thousands of pearls and crystals. First shown in 2012, the dress was presented again in the autumn/winter 2020–21 couture season as a tribute to the Parisian house and the skill of its artisans.