1957
HUBERT DE GIVENCHY
Evening Dress
Autumn/winter 1957–58 haute couture
Hubert de Givenchy, French, 1927–2018
Black silk ottoman overlaid with cotton guipure lace embroidered with silk velvet flowers
Gift of Rodman A. Heeren, 1961 (C.I.61.54.2)
2013
RAF SIMONS for DIOR
Dress
Autumn/winter 2013–14
Dior, French, founded 1947
Raf Simons, Belgian, born 1968
Black synthetic plain weave overlaid with cotton tulle and appliquéd with leather flowers
Courtesy Dior Heritage Collection, Paris
As the mode for the wasp waist abated in the late 1950s, designers, following the lead of Cristóbal Balenciaga, experimented with styles that varied the placement of the waistline. Defined by a black satin ribbon, the waist of this innovative silhouette from Hubert de Givenchy is raised to bust level, emphasizing a full bosom in contrast with the fitted torso that swells into a hip-enhancing, dome-shaped skirt with a curving hemline descending from front to back. In keeping with Givenchy’s penchant for highly decorative surfaces, black velvet orchids, roses, daisies, and tulips bloom on the dress in a feat of couture workmanship.
During his tenure at the House of Dior, Raf Simons encouraged a contemporary approach to the work of the couture métiers that had flourished under the house’s founder, including pleating, embroidery, flower making, and leatherwork. In this dress, a dense field of leather flowers covers a ground of cotton tulle. The appliquéd surface imitates the appearance of guipure lace, a material favored in the 1950s by Christian Dior and other designers such as Givenchy and Balenciaga. When examined closely, the flowers’ three-dimensional quality is evident, as the petals have been individually molded and cut with alternately smooth and serrated edges.
During his tenure at the House of Dior, Raf Simons encouraged a contemporary approach to the work of the couture métiers that had flourished under the house’s founder, including pleating, embroidery, flower making, and leatherwork. In this dress, a dense field of leather flowers covers a ground of cotton tulle. The appliquéd surface imitates the appearance of guipure lace, a material favored in the 1950s by Christian Dior and other designers such as Givenchy and Balenciaga. When examined closely, the flowers’ three-dimensional quality is evident, as the petals have been individually molded and cut with alternately smooth and serrated edges.