Evening ensemble

Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)

1967 · silk · Costume Institute

Madame Alix Gres' career spanned five decades and throughout them all she excelled in her ability to manipulate fabric and use its innate characteristics to enhance her designs. Well known for her classically inspired, form-fitting, silk jersey evening dresses, in the mid-1960s, Grès began experimenting with geometrically cut pattern pieces to create more free-flowing designs. This gown is a study in motion. The unseen, structured bodice extends into a full skirt comprised of fluid, gathered lengths of fabric in alternating shades of fuchsia and violet. The colors serve to focus attention on the skirt as it moves. 'The poncho, with its long asymmetrical hem, a Gres trademark, also pulls the eye downward, directing attention to the skirt.

Artist

Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)

Date

1967

Medium

silk

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, Jr., 1988