COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
MMA_.1988.74.2a-e
AMICA Library Year:
2000
Object Type:
Costume and Jewelry
Creator Name:
Gernreich, Rudi
Creator Nationality:
North American; American
Creator Role:
Designer
Creator Dates/Places:
American, 1922 - 1985
Creator Name-CRT:
Designed by Rudi Gernreich
Title:
Play ensemble
Title Type:
Object name
View:
Full View
Creation Date:
1967
Creation Start Date:
1967
Creation End Date:
1967
Materials and Techniques:
wool, plastic, Nylon
Classification Term:
Main dress-Womenswear
Dimensions:
(a) L. at center back 29 in. (74.5 cm); (b) L. at center back 8 1/2 in. (22.5 cm); (c,d) L. at center back 22 in. (56.5 cm) (e) L. 23 in. (58.5 cm)
AMICA Contributor:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location:
New York, New York, USA
ID Number:
1988.74.2a-e
Credit Line:
Gift of Léon Bing and Oreste F. Pucciani, 1988
Context:
In these Gernreich creations, vertical and horizontal windows - like the zips in a Barnett Newman painting overlaid on a figure - delineate an axis of nudity on the body. These dresses appeared on the cover of 'Time' (December 1, 1967) accompanying a story on Gernreich that described him as 'the most way-out, far-ahead designer in the U.S.' The ensemble exemplifies Gernreich's famous declaration: 'A woman today can be anything she wants to be - a Gainsborough or a Reynolds or a Reynolds Wrap.' Apparently, she can also be a Saran Wrap.
Related Image Identifier Link:
MMA_.ci1988.74.2a-e.R.tif
