For a few years, Stephen Sprouse was America’s answer to Jean Paul Gaultier. Though designers like Demna and Virgil have since normalized the notion, Sprouse was amongst the first designers to present an aesthetic that trickled up from the streets to the buying class. He could walk both worlds, that of his hard-partying peers and of the old guard. Sprouse studied under legendary tailors such as Bill Blass, and for his own wardrobe he preferred to go bespoke. Yet he kept the company of Warhol, Basquiat, and Haring, the crop of young artists who stomped on every norm which came before them. Sprouse's work was a callback to looks pioneered by the Mods of the sixties, utilizing day-glo colors, sequins, and miniskirts alongside graffiti and velcros which tethered the clothes to their proper era. A critical smash, it was described as punk couture, yet like many fine artists Sprouse was unconcerned with business logistics, and bankrupted himself by '88. He finally reached commercial success with his 2001 Louis Vuitton collaboration, before his untimely passing just three years later. Sprouse has remained a cult-icon for both his work and his aesthetic; the tragic forgotten man amongst the greatest boon of creativity New York has ever seen. His bangs and eyeliner were immortalized in portraits by Warhol, and later used by Raf Simons.

Sprouse was notably the only fashion designer to be granted use to Andy Warhol’s designs within his lifetime. He released his first collection using Warhol’s imagery in 1985, this piece comes from his second, in 1998. Self-financed by Sprouse, the pieces were made in extremely limited runs. However, they display his ingenuity as a tailor and conceptual designer. This dress features a self portrait taken by Warhol in 1967. It was the signature graphic from the collection, and appeared on the runway in t-shirts and mini-skirts as well. The t-shirt was notably worn by Carrie Bradshaw in an episode of “Sex and the City.”

Condition: 9/10. No noticeable flaws.

Tagged size: None

Shoulder to Shoulder: 12.5”

Pit to Pit: 18”

Length: 32”