Evening dress

Jean Dessès

ca. 1960 · silk · Costume Institute

Jean Dessés originally travelled to Paris from Egypt to study law and diplomacy; however, he soon discovered that his true passion was designing. He opened his own couture house in Paris in 1937 and became known for his characteristic twists and gathers which he magically executed on a variety of fabrics. Considered his best work are his evening dresses of chiffon, which have the appearance of classical sculpture. He favored ombré fabrics and colors other than black, such as Wedgwood blue, old rose, taupe, eggplant, green, brown, pale grays, faint pinks, and whites. This evening dress is a prime example of the designer's expertise in draping, gathering and manipulating material. Worked in his fabric of choice, chiffon, in one of his signature colors, brown, the dress is a sculptural work of art. As the fabric wraps around the body, the boned bodice is offset by the fishtail at back, modernizing the piece.

Artist

Jean Dessès

Date

ca. 1960

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., 1963