Dress

Paco Rabanne

1969 · plastic (cellulose acetate), metal · Costume Institute

The Spanish-born French designer Paco Rabanne was a pioneer in his subversion of traditional couture techniques. Rabanne’s innovative design methodology utilized unconventional materials and frequently employed the use of interchangeable components as a general approach to garment construction. This dress from 1969, is composed from a series of black Rhodoid (or cellulose acetate) discs that have been linked together with hundreds of small metal jump rings, a type of hardware that is typically reserved for jewelry. Though the discs have been layered in bands across the breasts and hips in a gesture towards modesty, the abbreviated hemline, and the interstitial glimpses of skin that the garment exposes embody the period tendency to celebrate and display a youthful figure.

Artist

Paco Rabanne

Date

1969

Medium

plastic (cellulose acetate), metal

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Purchase, Gould Family Foundation Gift, in memory of Jo Copeland, 2019