Evening dress

Madeleine Vionnet

1936–37 · silk · Costume Institute

Vionnet exposed her composition with characteristic subtlety. the wide cylinder of bias cut is pulled in at center front, radiating from and anchored by the buckle. To the casual observer, the effect is superficial and the buckle may seem applied decoration. Strategically placed at the nexus of bias construction, the center front is the dynamic convergence of the dress as a composition. In such a gesture, Vionnet was a dauntless modernist.

Artist

Madeleine Vionnet

Date

1936–37

Medium

silk

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Madame Madeleine Vionnet, 1952