Sensory Reactions

1. Does the garment have stylistic, religious, artistic or iconic references? – Possibly 1980’s, slightly stronger shoulders. No references that I am aware of.
2. Is the garment stylistically consistent with the period from which it came? Does it seem to reflect the influences of that period or diverge from it? I would say it was influenced by it. You can see the strong shoulder on the dress which adds to this masculine/feminine duality of the 80’s.
3. What is the texture and weight of the cloth or other materials used to construct the garment? Velvet of medium weight, lace, polyester lining.
4. Would a person wearing this garment make noise? No, the velvet and lace would be pretty silent.
5. Does the garment smell? No, it doesn’t really have a smell to it.

Personal Reactions

What was the impetus to examine this garment? Were you interested in the person who wore it, the maker, or some other aspect of its object biography? – I was interested in the materials first and foremost. I saw the velvet and lace and that drew me to examine it. I then noticed the Givenchy label and I took an even closer look at it.

1. Are you the same gender and size as the person who wore or owned the garment? Did a person who was bigger or smaller than you wear it? Would the garment fit your body? –  I am the same gender, but probably a little smaller than the owner of this garment but it could probably fit me, though not perfectly.
2. How would it feel on your body? Would it be tight or loose? Would the garment cause discomfort or pain? – The silhouette is tailored but loose, not very restricting, The fabric would feel comfortable on the skin as well.
3. Would you wear this garment if you could? Is the style and color appealing to you? – the black color is appealing to me, I might wear it, I have initial interest in trying it on to see if I look right in it.
4. Does the garment demonstrate a complexity of construction or element of mastery in the design? Does the dress artifact have a functional component to the design? It is clearly a nice, cocktail/dinner dress, short but not dysfunctional in any way. It appears to be made well, it is couture.
5. Did the maker want to evoke emotion, status, sexuality, or gender roles with the garment? Does the garment seem to express humor, joy, sorrow or fear? It is clearly a feminine piece, the materials evoke a sense of status, and the silhouette paired with the materials, definitely illicit status.
6. Do you have an emotional reaction to the garment? Can you identify a personal bias that should be acknowledged in your research? I am probably bias toward the designer name and the materials used. I don’t think I would have given it as much attention if it was not a designer name. I am also bias toward the feminine nature of it.

Contextual Information

1. If you were permitted access to the provenance record for the artifact, what does this information reveal about the owner, and their relationship to the garment?  – I think it would reveal some more details to how the designer saw the garment in use, what girl he pictures dressing and how he developed the garment in the time he was working on it.
2. Does the museum, study or private collection have other garments that similar, or by the same designer/maker? Yes, Beacon’s closet had similar garments in that they were also vintage and from big French babels like a Dior jacket and  YSL piece.
3. Do other museums have similar objects? Can you identify similar objects in online collections of dress? – Yes, a few museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art have pieces from Givenchy on their online archive as well as featuring some pieces in their annual Costume Institute exhibitions.
4. Have other scholars written about this type of garment or the designer’s work in books or peer-reviewed journals? Yes, Givenchy has had numerous reviews written about him and his work.
5. Are there similar garments or related ephemera available for sale on Easy, eBay, online vintage stores, or auction sites? – Yes, there are plenty of modern and vintage Givenchy items being sold on these websites for hundreds of dollars instead of the $64 this dress was being sold for.
6. Are there photographs, paintings, or illustrations of this garment, or of similar garments in books, magazines, museum collections, or online? – Yes, there are plenty of editorials for Vogue from the 80’s that incorporate other pieces from Givenchy – tailored jackets, dresses and pants – that have similar aesthetics and shapes. There appear to be a few sketches from Givenchy in the Parson’s archives.
7. Has this garment, or others like it, been referenced in documents, such as letters or receipts, or magazines, novels, and other forms of written material? – Yes, Givenchy has been featured in numerous magazines for the past 60 years or so.

If the maker of the garment is a known designer, what information is available about them? How does this garment fit into their oeuvre? Have there been exhibitions of the designer’s work? Has the designer written an autobiography or been profiled in magazines or journals? – There are quite a few books about Givenchy and the beginning of the brand, as well as his relationship with Audrey Hepburn. Pieces by Givenchy have been cataloged for the online Met archive.