Dinner ensemble

Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)

fall/winter 1980 · silk · Costume Institute

Madame Alix Grès' 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. She executed flowing, body-skimming garments inspired by ancient Greek dress; minimalist, sculptural forms and voluminous, dramatic shapes. Grès was also influenced by regional costume and mixes a well-known Indian form with geometric shapes, both in bold colors. The bodice consists of two vividly colored, layered circles. The birfurcated skirt, with its center gathers resembles a man's dhoti or similarly wrapped women's sari. The hip yoke and leg ends are asymmetrical--a Grès trademark.

Artist

Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)

Date

fall/winter 1980

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., 1991