Browse Items (27 total)

This is a material culture analysis, using Fleming’s Artifact Study Model, of a shift dress with a matching jacket from the University of Rhode Island’s Historic Textile and Costume Collection. Dr. Beverly D. Cusack, dean of the College of Home…

This sweater vest is royal blue and features a narrow cable down the short center front. The vest is cropped to end at the natural waist. It has a fairly high and wide square neck opening. The tag at the back of the neck identifies the designer…

Zandra Rhodes (b. 1940) is something of an icon. She has been a part of the fashion world for the past fifty-plus years and has transformed the way people view textile design and printing. Rhodes inspires those who dress a little differently and is…

Arnold Scaasi (1930-2015) donated this evening gown, used in his 1991 Autumn/Winter show, to the Historic Textile and Costume Collection in 1997. This was a remarkable year for the designer, in which he received the Council of Fashion Designers of…

According to a letter from the donor Rita Grossman, this Givenchy coat is one of several couture pieces she had custom-made in Paris between 1955 and 1974. Grossman cut out the labels to avoid paying a duty tax. The coat and the other designer…

Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008) launched his prêt-à-porter, or ready to wear collection he titled Rive Gauche in 1966, at the beginning of what was to become a standard practice for fashion designers. This coat is from Saint Laurent’s famous Russian…

Pierre Balmain (1914-1982) was one of the most revolutionary designers of his time. His architectural studies and subsequent work for Edward Molyneux and Lucien Lelong shaped him into the designer he became. Balmain created the ‘new French style’…

This dress features a full-length skirt, bishop sleeves, and a V-shaped neckline. A hook and eye in the front allows the wearer to create a more modest closure if desired. The printed fabrics are a momie weave, a crepe-like fabric made from tightly…

The dress is believed to have been made between the years 1975 and 1980. McFadden (b. 1938) launched her first collection in 1973 and patented her “Marii” pleating technique two years later. She began Mary McFadden Inc. in 1976, which focused on…

This sleeveless, shift-style dress was made in Italy of brown wool gabardine by Emanuel Ungaro (1933-2019), probably within the first few years of Ungaro Paralléle, the label Ungaro launched in 1968 after establishing his company in 1965.The garment…