Evening dress

Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)

spring/summer 1938 · silk · Costume Institute

Madame Alix Gres' career spanned five decades and throughout she excelled in the ability to manipulate fabric and used its innate characteristics to enhance her designs. She executed flowing body-skimming forms inspired by Greek dress; minimalist, sculptural forms, and voluminous and dramatic shapes. Silk jersey was Gres' fabric of choice when creating her classical quotations. Here, while not distinctly Grecian in shape, the shirred shaping of the bodice and hip yoke, as well as the column-like appearance of the skirt evoke those origins.

Artist

Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs)

Date

spring/summer 1938

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 Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 1955