Lilac evening dress and velvet cape
Roberto Capucci · 1957
Italy
Roberto Capucci
- Sculptural pleating
- Architectural volume
- Experimental materials
Roberto Capucci approaches clothing as a study of form, drawing on architecture, art and nature. His collections attracted international attention in Florence in 1951, and later experiments used pleating and unconventional materials to extend the possibilities of dress.
Five looks to know
Collection selection
Lilac evening dress and velvet cape
1957
A documented example from the designer’s clothing collections.
Uffizi Galleries
Collection selection
Nove gonne (Nine Skirts) dress
Autumn/Winter 1956–57
Nine concentric skirts transform the red taffeta dress into a sculptural arrangement of curved layers.
Philadelphia Museum of Art / Fondazione Roberto Capucci; individual photographer not stated
Collection selection
Green silk dress with bamboo trim
Spring/Summer 1972
Bamboo at the neckline, cuffs and waist introduces a rigid natural material into flowing green silk.
Philadelphia Museum of Art / Fondazione Roberto Capucci; individual photographer not stated
Collection selection
Arancia sculpture dress
Spring/Summer 1982
Sliced semicircular volumes reveal yellow, orange and pink layers around a red central dress.
Philadelphia Museum of Art / Fondazione Roberto Capucci; individual photographer not stated
Collection selection
Pink and green sculptural evening dress
1987–1988 · Museum collection; season not stated
Broad green silk forms sweep around a vivid pink dress, making contrasting color part of its structure.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonCollections & archive pieces
1 collections represented · 1 pieceSelected work
1 piece
About Roberto Capucci
After leaving the regular fashion calendar in the early 1980s, he developed sculptural creations whose elaborate volumes sit between couture and autonomous artworks.