Designed by Rudi Gernreich / Play ensemble / 1967

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Creator Name: Gernreich, Rudi
Creator Nationality: North American; American
Creator Role: Designer
Creator Dates/Places: American, 1922 - 1985
Creator Name-CRT: Designed by Rudi Gernreich
Title: Play ensemble
Title Type: Object name
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 1967
Creation End Date: 1967
Creation Date: 1967
Object Type: Costume and Jewelry
Classification Term: Main dress-Womenswear
Materials and Techniques: wool, plastic, Nylon
Dimensions: (a) L. at center back 29 in. (74.5 cm); (b) L. at center back 8 1/2 in. (22.5 cm); (c,d) L. at center back 22 in. (56.5 cm) (e) L. 23 in. (58.5 cm)
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 1988.74.2a-e
Credit Line: Gift of Léon Bing and Oreste F. Pucciani, 1988
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/
Context:

In these Gernreich creations, vertical and horizontal windows - like the zips in a Barnett Newman painting overlaid on a figure - delineate an axis of nudity on the body. These dresses appeared on the cover of 'Time' (December 1, 1967) accompanying a story on Gernreich that described him as 'the most way-out, far-ahead designer in the U.S.' The ensemble exemplifies Gernreich's famous declaration: 'A woman today can be anything she wants to be - a Gainsborough or a Reynolds or a Reynolds Wrap.' Apparently, she can also be a Saran Wrap.

AMICA ID: MMA_.1988.74.2a-e
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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