Madame Grès Haute Couture Polka Dot Draped Top, Spring/Summer 1985

Madame Grès was active as a couturier in Paris from the 1930s through the 1980s. Also known as Alix, she developed minimalist draping techniques executed with sculptural precision. This blouse is spiral-cut from a single piece of fabric, demonstrating the evolution of her expertise in drapery, developed over fifty years. The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a similar example, accession no. 1997.116.10.

Worn by Mica Ertegun (1929 - ), this Madame Grès blouse captures the poise of a woman surrounded by celebrity and glamour. Wife of the late Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records, Mica Ertegun is known for her "mythic presence”, for her poise, as she and her husband sat at the helm of international society. Ertegun has been lauded for her originality in her fashion. For more, see James Reginato, “Mica Ertegun, the Nonagenarian Style Legend Who Shows No Signs of Stopping,” Vanity Fair, April 27, 2017

White silk printed with black polka-dots draped one shoulder asymmetrical top.
Label: Grès / Paris
Size Label: N/A
Style/Serial No.: N/A

Approximate Measurements:
Chest: 57"
Waist: 48"
Hips: 54"
Length (high shoulder point to hem): 32"

Property from the Collection of a Midwest University