Dress
This emblematic 1966 mini dress in iridescent plastic discs and metal jump rings by Paco Rabanne is an example of a commercial version of his 1966 haute couture collection “12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials” shown at the Hotel Georges V in Paris. These dresses were made from plastics and metal, worn over the naked body without any shoes. The collection was a striking 1960s fashion statement, bolstering both a futurist aesthetic as well as an avant-garde artistic maxim, which was to use found objects and materials such as rhodoïd and other plastics, previously not regarded as materials worthy of being used in haute couture garments. These related to the Dada and Panique movements in art, which Rabanne favored as a young man.
With its allusion to chain mail, the dress epitomizes Rabanne's practice of citing historical elements in a space-age aesthetic. The innovative construction and unconventional use of industrial material characterize the exploratory, experimental sensibility of much 1960s avant-garde fashion.
Rabanne, sometimes nicknamed the “Jules Verne” of couture, was born Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo in the Basque region of Spain. His mother was the head seamstress for the famed Spanish-born couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga. Initially studying architecture, he began his fashion career only in the early 1960s, with a collection of large plastic accessories he sold to couture houses like Balenciaga, Cardin and Courrèges.
With its allusion to chain mail, the dress epitomizes Rabanne's practice of citing historical elements in a space-age aesthetic. The innovative construction and unconventional use of industrial material characterize the exploratory, experimental sensibility of much 1960s avant-garde fashion.
Rabanne, sometimes nicknamed the “Jules Verne” of couture, was born Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo in the Basque region of Spain. His mother was the head seamstress for the famed Spanish-born couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga. Initially studying architecture, he began his fashion career only in the early 1960s, with a collection of large plastic accessories he sold to couture houses like Balenciaga, Cardin and Courrèges.
Artwork Details
- Title: Dress
- Designer: Paco Rabanne (French, born Spain 1934–2023)
- Date: ca. 1966
- Culture: American
- Medium: synthetic, metal, leather
- Credit Line: Gift of Estate of Jean Stein, 2017
- Object Number: 2017.690.12
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Paco Rabanne
1967
Paco Rabanne
1966
Paco Rabanne
1965
Paco Rabanne
late 1960s
Paco Rabanne
ca. 1967
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.