
Origin: France
Year: Spring/Summer 2001
Collection: Queens College Collection
Donor: Gift of Mrs. Jayne Wrightsman
Designer: Oscar de la Renta for Pierre Balmain
Identification number: 214.004 4.2 a & b
Materials: Orange silk mousseline
The brilliant orange of this feminine ensemble, consisting of a surplice blouse and pleated tiered skirt with fringed edges, is accented by a necklace of coral and carved mother-of-pearl. Together they suggest a Caribbean theme with underlying Spanish influence. Even though it is a haute couture creation, its tiered skirt recalls the flounces of the flamboyant costume worn by Flamenco dancers, who inhabit an entirely different level of the social hierarchy.