1928
AMERICAN
Evening Dress
Probably American, ca. 1928
Black silk chiffon and cotton net woven with alphabet motif
Gift of Richard Martin and Harold Koda, 1992 (1992.399a, b)
1997
JOHN
GALLIANO
Dress
Spring/summer 1997, edition 2008
John Galliano, British, born Gibraltar, 1960
Black synthetic net embroidered with
black seed beads and lined with nude silk chiffon
Gift of John Galliano, 2012 (2012.122)
The geometric pattern of this late 1920s chemise dress exemplifies the Art Deco style, the period’s dominant decorative aesthetic. In addition to being ornamental, the prominent diamond-shaped chiffon insets at the front and back are also functional, serving to control the fabric at mid-torso and to provide slight shaping to the basically tubular silhouette. Fashioned from delicate black net woven with letters of the alphabet, the design epitomizes the frivolity and novelty of the time. The irregular handkerchief hemline was the prevailing style in 1928 and 1929.
John Galliano has frequently mined the romantic fashions of the late 1920s and early 1930s, drawing not only on the sensuality of the era’s body-skimming silhouette but also on the period’s sophisticated approach to dressmaking. The desire for streamlined shapes attuned to the body’s form led to his experimentation with construction techniques that merged structure and ornament. This dress reflects such an impulse, with elaborately tucked and pieced black net providing subtle shaping throughout the garment as well as forming an intricate spiderweb pattern that radiates from the hip.
John Galliano has frequently mined the romantic fashions of the late 1920s and early 1930s, drawing not only on the sensuality of the era’s body-skimming silhouette but also on the period’s sophisticated approach to dressmaking. The desire for streamlined shapes attuned to the body’s form led to his experimentation with construction techniques that merged structure and ornament. This dress reflects such an impulse, with elaborately tucked and pieced black net providing subtle shaping throughout the garment as well as forming an intricate spiderweb pattern that radiates from the hip.