Ensemble
Rudi Gernreich · 1967
Rudi Gernreich
- Coordinated ensembles
- Experimental textiles
Rudi Gernreich's 1967 ensembles make the complete outfit an arena for experimentation. Pattern can continue across jacket and skirt, while accessories extend a garment's visual theme.
Official house website
Five looks to know
Landmark design
Coordinated patterned ensemble
1967
An all-over motif continues across clothing and accessories, making the whole dressed figure a single graphic composition.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Landmark design
Tiger-pattern ensemble
1967
A tiger pattern unifies the jacket and short skirt, showing Gernreich’s use of total-look print and unconventional materials.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Landmark design
Monokini
Rudi Gernreich Design for Harmon Knitwear, 1964
The strap-only upper section challenged assumptions about modesty and treated exposed skin as part of the design.
© The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama
Landmark design
Ribbed turtleneck swimsuit
ca. 1964
A high neckline and unconstricted knit construction show another side of Gernreich’s effort to free the body through swimwear.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Landmark design
Blue cutout swimsuit
Westwood Knitting Mills, 1958
Wool knit without rigid understructure lets the body shape the swimsuit, anticipating Gernreich’s later experiments in exposure and freedom.
© Museum Associates/LACMAArchive pieces, grouped by date
2 pieces1967
2 pieces · Season not recorded
Ensemble
Rudi Gernreich · 1967
About Rudi Gernreich
Museum records also reveal collaboration with specialist makers, including Danskin and Capezio. These looks encourage study of the relationships among textiles, length, covered and exposed areas, and the coordination of separate components.