Fashion Nerds

The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of the estate of Elinor S. Gimbel, 1984. Object record

Evening dress

ca. 1935

Materials

wool, silk, leather

House / label

Elizabeth Hawes

Collection

ca. 1935

Archive reference

2009.300.1011a, b

Behind the design

Hawes used loosely woven wool gauze for this circa-1935 evening dress, choosing an unusual material for formal wear. The Met highlights a full silhouette adjusted by a belt and an asymmetric cowl neck. Its design gives the wearer a role in controlling the shape at the waist.

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