Short evening ensemble of obi fabric

Hanae Mori’s career began as a designer of film costumes in Japan. Her first show as a fashion designer was in 1964, in the United States. This garment was first shown as part of the International Fashion Festival which was held in Las Vegas in the same year. A photograph of this garment, worn by model Miki Irie, remains today. Made with Nishijin weave maru-obi fabric featuring gold thread, it is an important example of Mori’s early work, at a time when she began showing her work in Japan.