Dress

John Galliano|John Galliano

spring/summer 1995 · wool, silk, metal · Costume Institute

John Galliano created this draped woolen cocktail dress for his spring/summer 1995 “Pin-up/ Misia Sert” collection. The silhouette resembles a late nineteenth-century side-saddle riding habit with its skirt draped to the side of the hip. Galliano’s mastery of both cutting as well as draping techniques were featured in the collection’s silhouettes representing different female archetypes: from languid 1920s bias cut gowns to Oriental cocoon shapes to sharply cut 1950s hourglass silhouettes. The catwalk show was held in the “Pin Up Studios” in Paris, decorated with vintage cars, washing lines with silk lingerie and erotic wall images. The show was named after Misia Sert, an art patron, libertine and piano player who was friends with Gabrielle Chanel. The collection came one year after the comeback show of John Galliano of spring/summer 1994 and in July 1995, he was appointed as creative director at the House of Givenchy. One year later, he moved to become artistic director at Christian Dior.

Artist

John Galliano|John Galliano

Date

spring/summer 1995

Medium

wool, silk, metal

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Purchase, The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation Inc. Gift, 2014