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Gianfranco Ferré

Dress ensemble (dress and vest)

Maker

Gianfranco Ferré (Italian, 1944-2007), designer
Christian Dior (French, 1905-1957), design label

Title

Dress ensemble (dress and vest)

Year

Fall/Winter 1994/95

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

Center back length: 83.8 cm (33 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Label (at center-back of dress): “Christian Dior Boutique Paris 64460”; Second label : “Made in France; Collection H1H; Style 2706160; Size 38; Color 550; Fabric 4681530; Composition 74% Rayon, 26% Silk, 100% Silk; Lining 55% Acetate, 45% Cupmo; Dry Clean Only”

Label (at center-back of vest): “Christian Dior Boutique Paris 75915”; Second label: “Made in France; Collection H1H; Style 2702530; Size 42; Color 19/0 Bordeaux; Fabric 530; Composition 100% Silk; Lining; Dry Clean Only”

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2015.29.3ab

Type

Exhibition History

Swagged and Poufed
The Upholstered Body in the Late 19th-Century and Today
Jan 22, 2016 – Jul 03, 2016

Label copy

Trained as an architect and known for his structured fashion designs, Gianfranco Ferré produced this lavish dress toward the end of his tenure as creative director at Dior. Viewed alongside late-19th-century garments and compared to drapery illustrations, the dress quickly reveals its sources of inspiration. The ornate ogival (or pointed-oval) pattern recalls sumptuous fabrics like those in the mantle and mantelet seen here, the exaggerated pouf skirt points to bustle silhouettes, and the line of silk fringe at the hem-punctuated by a large decorative tassel hanging from an upholstery ball.

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Gianfranco Ferré (Italian, 1944-2007), designer
Christian Dior (French, 1905-1957), design label
Dress ensemble (dress and vest), Fall/Winter 1994/95
Silk jacquard weave, velvet, and fringe
Center back length: 83.8 cm (33 inches)
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 2015.29.3ab

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