Fashion2Fiber

Kelly, Patrick; 1989, black wool knit Eiffel Tower design dress

Description

Black knit short-med length turtleneck with long sleeves, Eiffel Tower design in silver buttons. Fall 1989

Creator

Patrick Kelly

Source

HCT.1990.564.1

Date

Fall 1989 (Collection created in celebration of bi-centennial of French Revolution)

Relation

Additional fiber images and information available at the CAMEO Materials Database at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Designer

Kelly, Patrick

Patrick Kelly was born in Mississippi and was the first American designer to be admitted to the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter, which governs the French ready-to-wear industry. Kelly’s signature use of playful buttons referenced the mismatched buttons his grandmother, who raised him, used to mend his family’s clothing. Patrick Kelly moved to Paris in 1979, and in 1985, the first “Patrick Kelly Paris” commercial collection was featured in a six-page spread in French Elle magazine. Kelly was interested in confronting racist iconography, particularly of the American South, and attempted to destigmatize racist memorabilia by reusing, repurposing, and reappropriating it. After producing ten collections, including a collaboration with Benetton, Kelly died in 1990 at the age of thirty-five due to complications from AIDS.

Design Elements

Mock Turtleneck Collar

Fiber/Fabric Information

fiber content=Wool

Decade

1980-1989

Color

Black

Files

1990.564.1 F.jpg
1990.564.1 LF.jpg
1990.564.1 L.jpg
1990.564.1 LB.jpg
1990.564.1 B.jpg
1990.564.1 RB.jpg
1990.564.1 R.jpg
1990.564.1 RF.jpg
kelly collar detail.jpg
kelly design detail.jpg
patrick kelly ad.jpg
Wool Fiber
Wool Fiber
Wool Fiber
Wool Fiber

Collection

Citation

Patrick Kelly, “Kelly, Patrick; 1989, black wool knit Eiffel Tower design dress,” Fashion2Fiber, accessed March 28, 2024, https://fashion2fiber.osu.edu/items/show/3581.