Evening ensemble

Arnold Scaasi

spring/summer 1983 · silk · Costume Institute

Arnold Scaasi, the designer of this ball gown, is best known for his evening wear designs, worn by a long list of celebrity clients primarily during the 1960s through the 1980s. Scaasi's work incorporates lavish surface decoration, often in the form of floral trimming, bright colors and full silhouettes that extend the proportions of the body. Scaasi creations are rarely easy to ignore; their ostentatious quality has become a signature of the designer's work. The exuberance of the trimming completely subsumes the gown, transforming the woman who wore it into a walking bouquet of poppies. The design clearly shows Scaasi's flair for the dramatic.

Artist

Arnold Scaasi

Date

spring/summer 1983

Medium

silk

Culture

American

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., 1991