Suit

Gilbert Adrian

1948 · Wool, silk · Costume Institute

As the New York Times observed, "In handling stripes Adrian achieves miracles." His use of stripes to direct the eye of the observer ranged from striped fabric to the insertion of striped pieces. There is a famous sequence in the film The Single Standard (1929) with Greta Garbo in which art direction and costume design converge to create a universe of stripes. Wearing a striped ensemble, Garbo enters a bedroom through a door with striped inlay. She walks across the bedroom and stands by a window with wavy stripes created by the rain outside. For Adrian, stripes reflected a distinctly modernist aesthetic.

Artist

Gilbert Adrian

Date

1948

Medium

Wool, silk

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Janet Gaynor Adrian, 1960