1925
GABRIELLE CHANEL
Evening Dress
1925
Gabrielle Chanel, French, 1883–1971
Black silk georgette embroidered
with black sequins
Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1944 (C.I.44.64.7)
1965
NORMAN NORELL
Dress
Autumn/winter 1965–66
Norman Norell, American, 1900–1972
Black silk crepe embroidered with black sequins
Purchase, the Gould Family Foundation,
in memory of Jo Copeland, 2020 (2020.48)
Gabrielle Chanel’s modernist design aesthetic found its full expression in her pared-down, eminently reproducible dresses that collectively became known as the “little black dress.” In its many day and evening variations, the comfortable, functional style adaptable to any situation came to define the twentieth-century concept of modern dressing. This georgette version is embroidered with overlapping sequins whose glamorous effect is amplified by a floral corsage and a three-tiered skirt, which provides additional dimension and increased dynamism in movement.
The bare-legged, straight-cut styles of the 1920s flapper era offered a vision of modern ease that suited the youthful direction of fashion in the 1960s. The decade held particular appeal for Norman Norell, who credited Chanel with having “started everything [in fashion] that’s current today.” This dress pays homage to 1920s models by Chanel, with its allover sequins, opulent corsage, lowered waistline, and strands of lavish fringe. To update the style for the mid-1960s, Norell subtly adjusted the proportions, creating an abbreviated hemline and a narrowed strap that exposes more of the shoulder.
The bare-legged, straight-cut styles of the 1920s flapper era offered a vision of modern ease that suited the youthful direction of fashion in the 1960s. The decade held particular appeal for Norman Norell, who credited Chanel with having “started everything [in fashion] that’s current today.” This dress pays homage to 1920s models by Chanel, with its allover sequins, opulent corsage, lowered waistline, and strands of lavish fringe. To update the style for the mid-1960s, Norell subtly adjusted the proportions, creating an abbreviated hemline and a narrowed strap that exposes more of the shoulder.