Evening dress
1908–11
Medium
Silk, beads, metallic
Classification
Evening dress
Culture
American
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Helen Rice, 1946
Accession Number
2009.300.6561
Art Historical Context
This elegant evening dress, created by American designer Herbert Luey between1908 and 191, exemplifies the refined luxury of early twentieth-century fashion. Crafted from silk adorned with delicate beads and metallic accents, the garment reflects the period’s emphasis on opulent evening attire that shimmered under gaslight or early electric illumination. Its intricate embellishments highlight the skilled handwork required to produce such pieces, transforming fabric into wearable art. As part of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, the dress offers insight into American design during a...