Dress

Never one to follow the crowd, Rudi Gernreich designed fashion that was shocking as well as ground breaking. Working predominately in knitwear, he later included vinyl and plastics. His designs promoted a "freeing" of the body as well as unified fashion. His "monokini" or topless bathing suit design of 1964 made headlines, bringing his fashions into the spotlight. Following this was a series of innovations, such as the "pubikini", the thong bathing suit, and the collection of “UNISEX" garments. As a designer, Gernreich consistently challenged the boundaries of fashion.

Combining art and fashion successfully is one of Gerneich's contributions to fashion, which can be seen in the design of this dress. The black and white stripes combined with the semi-circle print give an Op Art illusion, while the red ties at the sleeves break the dizzying pattern. A playful design and youthful silhouette, this dress compliments one of Gernreich's philosophies that clothes should be fun and functional.