Ensemble

Title: Ensemble
date created: spring/summer 2011
designer: Sarah Burton (British, born 1974)
design house: Alexander McQueen (British, founded 1992)
has culture: United Kingdom
material: silk (textile); feathers; leather; metal; rubber (material)
description: Thousands of cut and dyed feathers, painted to resemble the wings of monarch butterflies, come together to form this striking dress. Designer Sarah Burton incorporated butterflies into many garments and accessories she designed for Alexander McQueen, alluding to the power and possibility of transformation.
subjects/references: Monarch butterflies
collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art; View on Met Website
accession number: 2015.69a–c