Evening dress
2011 {René Gruau collection spring-summer 2011}
Medium
silk (organza, satin), polyester, feathers, glass (beads), plastic (sequins), metal (buttons, fastenings)
Measurements
156.0 cm (centre back) 36.0 cm (waist, flat)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2021
© Christian Dior
Gallery location
Level 3, NGV International
About this work
A version of this design was presented for John Galliano’s last collection for Christian Dior couture. The original gown was in shades of blue and pink, but the couture client who ordered it chose a different palette. The collection paid homage to influential fashion illustrator René Gruau, who worked for Christian Dior in the 1940s–50s. With his elegant and painterly illustrations, Gruau had a profound impact on the representation of haute couture. Utilising the highly skilled couture atelier to execute this technically challenging collection, Galliano used layers of tulle to imitate the chiaroscuro – the play of light and dark – of Gruau’s colour washes, creating the illusion of depth.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Paris, France
Inscription
label, left side back, woven (vertically) in black on white synthetic fabric: Christian Dior / HAUTE COUTURE / PARIS
Accession Number
2021.632
Department
International Fashion and Textiles