Ensemble

Emanuel Ungaro

1967 · cotton · Costume Institute

As fashion's last absolute decree entered its concluding phase, skirts became shorter and shorter until they atrophied into short shorts, or, in the phrase of the day, hot pants. In a couture playsuit with matching leggings, the elastic fabric has been hand-appliquéd with white braid. In the youth-impassioned tumult of the time, there was an equivocation between Warhol superstar and couture client. As self-consciously insurrectionist as the political gesture is, the craft of the garment is, like Chanel's "little black dress," traditional.

Artist

Emanuel Ungaro

Date

1967

Medium

cotton

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Leonard Holzer, 1970