Breastplate and skirt
1979 {spring-summer 1979}
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2024
- Gallery location
- Level 3 foyer
Level 3, NGV International
About this work
Thierry Mugler studied dance and photography before moving to Paris to work as a freelance fashion designer in 1971. In 1973 he presented his first collection under the label Café de Paris, before establishing his eponymous label in 1974. Mugler’s highly sexualised aesthetic brought an avant-garde element to Paris couture during the 1980s. Working in leather and rubber, as well as more conventional fabrics, Mugler created dramatic eveningwear and corsetry that celebrated an empowered and idealised female form. Made from metal, vinyl, latex or fake fur, Mugler’s breastplates, such as this example, were sculpted to emulate an hourglass silhouette that amplified the bosom, waist and hips.
Artwork Details
(b) 89.0 cm (centre back) 32.0 cm (waist, flat) (skirt)
(b) label, centre back waistline. woven in bronze on brown acetate: Thierry Mugler / Paris
Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2024
Level 3, NGV International