Dress
Zandra Rhodes · fall/winter 1972–73
Zandra Rhodes
- Printed textiles
- Loose silhouettes
Zandra Rhodes trained in textile design and entered fashion to find a setting for her distinctive prints. She allowed pattern and fabric to help determine garment construction, making surface and silhouette inseparable.
Official website
Five looks to know
Collection selection
Dress
Lily · fall/winter 1972–73
Rhodes combined her Field of Lilies and Reverse Lily prints across this flowing silk chiffon dress. Handwritten phrases mingle with stylized flowers and leaves, turning the fabric into both image and text. The Lily collection was her first to introduce calligraphic elements, while the print itself helped determine the garment’s construction.
© 2019 Nicholas Alan Cope / The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Collection selection
Dress
1973–79
A decorated yoke and long tassels draw attention to the neckline of this loose, full-length dress. Contrasting borders continue along its seams and sleeves. The Met identifies silk and leather as its materials and dates it broadly to 1973–79; the catalogue does not identify a particular runway season.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Collection selection
Knitted Circle
Knitted Circle · 1969
Rhodes based this hooded dress on a textile print inspired by knitting and embroidery. Its loose body and exaggerated sleeves show how textile design could determine a garment’s shape. The V&A includes this exact 1969 dress in its discussion of hippie-influenced alternatives to earlier sixties fashion.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Collection selection
Conceptual Chic
1977 · V&A collection
Rayon jersey, beaded safety pins, ball link chains, diamantes.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Collection selection
The Renaissance/Gold Collection
1981 · V&A collection
Printed quilted satin, printed silk net and knife-pleated polyamide/polyester/lamé mix.
© Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonCollections & archive pieces
1 collections represented · 3 piecesLily · fall/winter 1972–73
1 piece
1973–79
1 piece · Season not recorded
Dress
Zandra Rhodes · 1973–79
Knitted Circle · 1969
1 piece · Season not recorded
Knitted Circle
Zandra Rhodes · 1969
About Zandra Rhodes
Her Lily collection mixed floral drawings with handwritten text, while other 1970s dresses combined loose shapes, decorative borders and contrasting materials.