Austrian-American designer Rudi Gernreich was the U.S. counterpart to France’s space age trinity (Cardin, Courreges, and Rabanne). Having initially studied dance, Gernreich became a clothing designer heavily influenced by the functionality and movement of clothes on a live body. Of all the Space Age designers, Gernreich’s vision was perhaps the most prescient and accurate. He anticipated the shift in aesthetics brought on by cold war advancements in technology and the break down of sexual and gender barriers in society. There is a startling modernity in Gernreich’s designs that is reminiscent of another famed Austrian designer who migrated to the U.S. …
Gernreich’s alluring unisex swimsuits and infamous “monokini”. Not one to shy away from sexual subversion, Rudi would implement his bare breasted designs into daywear and eveningwear.
Model and muse Peggy Moffit showcases some of Gernreich’s 60′s era fashions
