Evening ensemble

Karl Lagerfeld|House of Chanel|House of Chanel

fall/winter 1990–91 · silk, metal · Costume Institute

Lagerfeld, who has taken the eighteenth century as a Leitmotif of his art and life from residences and domestic interiors, to his fashion, and even to a brief personal whim of powdering his hair, has seized the bravura assertion from the court gown, opening up at center front. For Lagerfeld, the condensed and ironic image is both Versailles and showgirl, aristocracy and vulgarity. Other Lagerfeld for Chanel references to the eighteenth century include the 1980s Watteau-back gowns and the 1985 Pierrot, or Gilles suit derived from the Watteau painting.

Artist

Karl Lagerfeld|House of Chanel|House of Chanel

Date

fall/winter 1990–91

Medium

silk, metal

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Mouna Ayoub, 1996