Evening dress

Cristobal Balenciaga|House of Balenciaga

fall/winter 1965–66 · silk, feathers · Costume Institute

Shaved ostrich feathers, their filaments stripped and dyed, are individually applied to the silk, anchored upward and against the grain in order to form an animated field in soft colors. Like the optical effect of an Impressionist painting, the dress is seen distinctly at a distance, but as a complex accretion at close range.

Artist

Cristobal Balenciaga|House of Balenciaga

Date

fall/winter 1965–66

Medium

silk, feathers

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Charles B. Wrightsman, 1966