#kimono inspired
Ensemble
‘It’s Only a Game’
Spring/Summer 2005
Alexander McQueen
Bodysuit and obi-style sash of lilac silk satin and chiffon embroidered with silk thread; shoulder pads and helmet of fibreglass painted with acrylics.
Andrew Bolton: McQueen designed the 2005 collection It’s Only a Game around the idea of a chess match between America and Japan. Each ensemble corresponded to a particular chess piece.
The king appears as an American football player, with shoulder pads and a helmet covered in Japanese tattooing.In the runway show, the models moved as if they were pieces in a life-sized chess game, an idea inspired by a scene from Harry Potter. Taken as a whole, the collection revealed McQueen’s remarkable ability to look across cultures for inspiration.
Sources:|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|
Text:Met Museum | 1 |2 |
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Evening Coat
Lucile
1911
Purple silk velvet and gold lame opera coat with silk satin lining and integral gold lame waistcoat.
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Opera Coat
Jean-Philippe Worth
House of Worth
1912
In 1912, the dolman coat once again became a fashionable form of outerwear, reviving the silhouette that was popular during the 1870s and 1880s. Worn almost exclusively for evening, the coat’s draped silhouette was often cut like a kimono. The stunning velvet of this example by the House of Worth features oversized woodland flowers including cattails and jack-in-the pulpits.
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Evening Coat
Paul Poiret
1924
Stunning cocoon evening coat of black georgette, hand beaded overall in lines of black beads switching to gray translucent beads with a geometric ragged edge formed at the color change. The coat has a velvet collar and edging at the aperture and velvet cord along the top of the shoulders extending down the full length of the arms. The dramatic dolman sleeves are emphasized by a careful placement of the beadwork pattern. The construction derives from draping techniques. The front falls from the shoulders and sweeps into a cutaway closure to attach at the lowered waist seam in the back. The coat has tremendous graphic impact with the beadwork shimmering and moving as the light hits the garment. Fully lined and faced with black silk.
Details of this coat published on full page (page 195) in the book, “Poiret: Paul Poiret 1879-1944”, by Yvonne Deslandres.
In addition, its draped construction with the minimal number of pattern pieces is typical of Poiret’s design techniques. The coat’s opulence and dramatic impact are hallmarks of Poiret’s style. Early in his career, he used the cocoon shape, which was inspired by traditional Japanese clothing.
This coat is a great example of the style which became known as Art Deco. The functional aspects of the design construction creates the geometric surface pattern of the beadwork and though minimal in form, the sculptural impact is dramatic and graphic in the round because of the graphics.
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Evening Coat
Weeks (attributed)
French
1910-1912
The contrast of black chiffon over aqua satin contributes to this evening coat’s visual appeal. The use of tassels and braid trim reflect an Asian influence and the ongoing interest in Orientalism at the time.
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Coat
Cristobal Balenciaga
House of Balenciaga
1927
Straight, mid-calf coat, based on the shape of a triangle. The large collar, crossover lapel, long sleeves and cuffs are decorated with ermine fur.
In this coat, made in San Sebastian, Balenciaga evoked the lines that define the Japanese kimono, one of the most influential garments in European fashion of the twenties. In perfect tune with the aesthetics of those years, the wide turndown collar and the sleeve cuffs were adorned with ermine fur.
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Evening Cape
Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel
House of Chanel
1927
This evening cape is constructed of two 45-inch-wide lengths of silk crepe sewn together vertically and then ingeniously gathered and knotted to form a cape. The color of the silk crepe changes from black to cream, with metallic brocade covering the transition area. The influence of Japanese art is evident in the construction and drape of the cape and the use of the chrysanthemum motif. Chanel combined Art Deco aesthetics along with East Asian forms and techniques to create a critically modernistic look.
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Sirene Gown
Haute Couture
Givenchy
Alexander McQueen
1998
“McQueen’s silvery mermaid dress has the kind of glamour appeal a screen goddess lives for. Silver beaded dress on black crepe georgette.”
Bazaar US April 1998, Perchance To Dream
This gown is similar to a 1919 evening dress by Gustave Beer.
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Dinner Dress
House of Worth
Charles Frederick Worth
Jean-Philippe Worth
1890-95
At his shop, Worth fashioned completed creations which he then showed to clients on live models. Clients could then order their favorites according to their own specifications. This method is the origin of haute couture. Worth designed gowns which were works of art that implemented a perfect play of colors and textures created by meticulously chosen textiles and trims. The sheer volume of the textiles he employed on each dress is testimony to his respect and support of the textile industry. Worth’s creative output maintained its standard and popularity throughout his life. The business continued under the direction of his sons, grandsons and great-grandsons through the first half of the twentieth century.
(Silk Dress with morning glory motif.)
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Ensemble
Christian Dior/John Galliano
Haute Couture
Spring/Summer 1998
Two-piece coat and dress ensemble, Lamé embossed aged gold lamé gold silk lining; Embossed silk with golden son, mottled silk lining.
Magazine text: “John Galliano creates a look that mixes many classic Asian shapes. Pyramid-line kimono coat and lame dress with train.”
Image Sources: 1|2 | 3 | 4|5 | 6 | 7|8
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“Iris Noir”
Kimono Coat
Jeanne Lanvin
1935
Black and white silk taffeta kimono sleeve wrap coat. Using traditional Japanese construction techniques, a simplistic functional form is seamed from a single square of material resulting in minimal waste. Pure in form and function, the use of classic black and white is textured by the use of trapunto-stitch detail, which binds the black exterior with the white interior while adding additional body to the structure and warmth for the wearer.
Image and text taken from: Lanvin - Dean L. Merceron, pgs 281-282.
(I came across these old scans, will re-do when I get hold of the book again.)
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