Photos By Gail
Norma Kamali’s New York boutique was a hub of the art, fashion, and club scene of the late 1960s and 1970s. Kamali designed playful, body-conscious and gender-fluid garments, collaborating with people from the dance, wellness, and health worlds.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Parachute Evening Dress By Norma Kamali
All Photos By Gail
Henri Lédéchaux bred the French hybrid rose Madame Ferdinand Janin in 1875. It was imported into the United States in 1886, where it was renamed American Beauty.
Continue reading Eye On Design: American Beauty Rose Evening Dress By Halston
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Among the most popular types of evening wear during the 1920s were loose, sleek, chemise-style dance dresses with sleeveless armholes and wide-cut necklines, which could be pulled directly over the head. Continue reading Eye On Design: 1920s Evening Dress
All Photos By Gail
At the end of the 1920s, the prior emphasis on lavish surface embellishment transferred to printed textiles, which were fashioned into a variety of romantic permutations. The elegant ombre-dyed silk chiffon of this evening dress was likely created for Gabrielle Chanel at her own Tissus Chanel factory in Asnières-sur-Seine, France. The delicate manipulation of the textile in this Floral Appliquéd Evening Dress (spring/summer 1935) is evidence of the superior capabilities of the Chanel couture workrooms
Continue reading Eye On Design: Floral Appliquéd Evening Dress By House of Chanel
Photos By Gail
In 1960, Norman Norrell created one of his most daring and sensational innovations, the first culotte-skirted, wool flannel day suit. Soon thereafter, he debuted the culotted evening dress. Although it took years to gain widespread popularity, Norell responded to the fact that modern women were more mobile than ever and needed clothing to match their lifestyles.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Beaded Culottes Dress By Norman Norell