Skip to main content

Visit Main Menu Block

  • Hours & Admission
  • Accessibility & Amenities
  • Tours & Group Visits
  • Visitor Guidelines

Exhibitions and Events Main Menu Block

  • Exhibitions
  • Events

Art and Design Main Menu Block

  • Collection
  • Collection Research
  • Past Exhibitions
  • Watch / Listen / Read

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum
Previous image 1 2 / 2 Next image

Arnold Scaasi

Dress

Maker

Arnold Scaasi (American, b. 1931), designer

Title

Dress

Year

1980s

Medium

  • synthetic fiber,
  • rhinestones,
  • chemical lace; appliqué,
  • embellishement

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • synthetic fiber,
  • rhinestones,
  • chemical lace; appliqué,
  • embellishement

Materials

rhinestones, synthetic fiber, Chemical lace

Dimensions

Center back length: 119.4 cm (47 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, made possible by Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf

Object Number

2011.83.3

Type

  • Costume

Exhibition History

Luminous Lace
Jan 27, 2017 – Jul 30, 2017

Label copy

By the 1980s, designers had many options for using gold-colored fibers in their designs. This dress’s base fabric was machine-embroidered, creating what looks much like highly dimensional handmade needle lace. The lace was further embellished with rhinestones, stressing the dress’s Renaissance aesthetic. The fitted bodice with low, open neckline and the off-shoulder sleeves extending over the wrist of the wearer evoke styles from the late 16th or early 17th centuries.

Modern designers often erroneously interpret this historic garment as bare and open, neglecting to see that women added sheer linen chemises for modesty. This 16th-century example is on view in Intermission in the Chace Galleries.

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Arnold Scaasi (American, b. 1931), designer
Dress, 1980s
Synthetic fiber, rhinestones, chemical lace; appliqué, embellishement
Center back length: 119.4 cm (47 inches)
Gift of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, made possible by Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf 2011.83.3

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Footer Main Navigation

  • Visit

    • Hours & Admission
    • Accessibility & Amenities
    • Tours & Group Visits
    • Visitor Guidelines
  • Art & Design

    • Collection Research
    • Collection
    • Past Exhibitions
  • Join / Give

    • Become a Member
    • Give
  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Events
  • Watch / Listen / Read

    • The Latest
    • Publications
    • Articles
    • Audio & Video

Footer Secondary Navigation

  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Image Request
  • Press Office
  • Rent the Museum
  • Terms of Use
Tickets
Homepage
Go to the risd.edu homepage. This link will open in a new window.