Ensemble

In 1942 the United States government issued General Limitation Order L-85, which regulated commercial design and production of women’s apparel in an effort to limit material usage during wartime. Adrian responded creatively to the restrictions, adhering to slim silhouettes punctuated with striking details. Fringe was a favored trimming, as it was unrestricted by L-85 and appealed to Adrian’s interest in fashions that were responsive to the body in motion. This attentiveness to movement was cultivated by his work for theater and film and may have also been influenced by Futurist art, with its emphasis on representing the dynamism of modern life. Adrian explicitly referenced his indebtedness to modern art in some collections, giving his designs names such as “modern museum” or “Picasso.” With this dress, he achieved a dynamic effect with tiered layers of fringe that generate constant, subtle motion and variations in light and shadow as the wearer moves. As one advertisement for the design promised, it “stirs with every breath.”