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.
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
Collection
Citation
Patrick Kelly, “Kelly, Patrick; 1989, black wool knit Eiffel Tower design dress,” Fashion2Fiber, accessed December 3, 2024, https://fashion2fiber.osu.edu/items/show/3581.