Christian Lacroix Fall 1998 Top

Asked to name the most influential items of clothing across the 20th century, you can guarantee a few fashion editors would name Christian Lacroix’s bejewelled cross top in their top 10. For the Fall 1988 Couture collection, Lacroix was inspired by his upbringing in Arles, France, alongside antique French draperies, Roman and early-Christian documents, ecclesiastical art and Byzantine religious masterpieces. Many garments were embellished by master of embroidery Francois Lesage. The stand-out piece from this collection was a black blouse adorned with a crucifix encrusted with jewels and glittering embroidery.

The couture piece appeared on model Michaela Bercu on the November 1988 cover of American Vogue, the first issue produced under Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. Wintour was not a fan of the skirt that it was paired with on the catwalk; a stroke of luck as it didn’t fit Bercu. The stylist on the shoot, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, chose a pair of Guess jeans. The cover caused uproar throughout the fashion industry and signalled a changing point in the relationship between luxury and street fashion.

This era-defining piece of clothing was reissued for Lacroix’s Fall 1998 pret-a-porter collection, hailed as “the world’s fanciest t-shirt”. In 2018, Maison Lacroix loaned the original couture top to The Met for its “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” exhibition.

The Fall 1998 t-shirt is tailored from black cotton to a slouchy, long-sleeve silhouette. The wide boat-neckline adds an elegance to the laid-back silhouette. With a relaxed fit and slightly cropped sleeves, it is an easy piece to pair with jeans or to elevate with a huge skirt. Contrasted against a black background, the adornment really pops; pearlescent, turquoise, ruby red, amethyst purple, sapphire blue, fuchsia, pale blue and citrine yellow jewels are enveloped in glistening gold thread and set against a gold metallic background to create a cross formation. The level of detail is reminiscent of Lacroix’s opulent, eclectic jewellery designs.

• Christian Lacroix Fall 1998 • Bejewelled cross embellishment • Black cotton • Long-sleeves • Boat neckline • Made in Italy

Fabric: 100% Cotton
Size on Label: French size 42, UK 14, US 10
Stretch: No
Care: Dry clean only
Condition: Excellent condition

Bust: 81 cm (32 inch)
Waist: 71 cm (28 inch)
Length (shoulder to front bottom hem): 89 cm (35 inch)
Bottom hem: 69 cm (27 inch)