Dress Code at the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture

A place to reflect on one's own life in clothing?

Dress Code is a small but thoughtfully curated and visually beautiful display of over 200 years of women's clothing, and the relationship of that clothing to changing women's roles, on display through April 30, 2011 at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (the MAC) in Spokane. Issues of female beauty, personal identity, political power, and societal shifts are illustrated by clothing from the MAC's permanent collection.

Although the clothing itself is just the medium of the message, there are some splendid items on display, including an Empire-style dress worn to George Washington's inaugural celebration.

French silk brocade dress, remade in 1789 from a 1730 wedding dress imported from Paris

Please visit my blog for more information and photos from the exhibit.

My visit to the Théâtre de la Mode

Taking a closer look at an ivory silk damask evening dress by Worth in a set designed by Jean Cocteau

Created in Paris starting in 1944, the Théâtre de la Mode is a work of haute couture, theater and art, with stage sets and dolls designed and created by artists, and fashions by over 55 design houses. They came together for the survival of haute couture.

Some of the clothing designers who dressed these artful dolls in miniature versions of their best and most current fashions include Balmain, Balenciaga, Fath, Hermès, Lanvin, Paquin, Schiaparelli and Ricci.


Sound interesting? I have just completed a seven-post series about the Théâtre for my blog, including:



My visit to the Théâtre de la Mode, part I

Théâtre de la Mode, part II: The Dolls

Théâtre de la Mode, part III: The Sets

Théâtre de la Mode, part IV: The Fashion Designers

Théâtre de la Mode, part V: Down to the Tiniest Details

Théâtre de la Mode, part VI: Loss & Rebirth—Again

Théâtre de la Mode, part VII: Seeing the Exhibit at Maryhill

A VFG*** Must See*** Exhibit Paris

If you're lucky enough to be in Paris this week, Sotheby's Galerie Charpentier is presenting "Dancing Into Glory", an exhibit of the history of the Ballet Russes September 17 - 23. On display will be costumes designed by Andre Derain, Henri Matisse, and Leon Bakst.

Shown above is a silk costume for a woman of the court in the ballet Le Rossignol, made from a drawing by Henri Mattisse, 1920.

A VFG*** Must See*** Exhibit Brooklyn

"Modern Cuff" bracelet, 1948

"From Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith" is on view at the Brooklyn Museum through May 17, 2009.

This exhibition honors the gift of twenty-one pieces of silver and gold jewelry created by the Brooklyn-reared modernist jeweler Arthur Smith (1917–1982), primarily from Charles Russell, Smith’s companion and heir.

The presentation of Art Smith jewelry is enhanced by archival material from the artist’s estate, such as sketches, the original shop sign, Smith’s tools, and period photographs of models wearing the jewelry, along with thirty pieces of modernist jewelry from the permanent collection by such artists as Elsa Freund, Claire Falkenstein, Ed Weiner, and Frank Rebajes.

Inspired by surrealism, biomorphicism, and primitivism, Art Smith’s jewelry is dynamic in its size and form. Although sometimes massive in scale, his jewelry remains lightweight and wearable. The jewelry dates from the late 1940s to the 1970s and includes his most famous pieces, such as a “Patina” necklace inspired by the mobiles of Alexander Calder; a “Lava” bracelet, or cuff, that extends over the entire lower arm in undulating and overlapping forms; and a massive ring with three semi-precious stones that stretches over three fingers.

Trained at Cooper Union, Art Smith, an African American, opened his first shop on Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village in 1946. One of the leading modernist jewelers of the mid-twentieth century, Smith was also an active supporter of black and gay civil rights, an avid jazz enthusiast, and a supporter of early black modern dance groups.

A VFG*** Must See*** Exhibit Valentino: New York & London

Samsung invites you to experience the imagination, passion, and inspiration of Valentino Garavani's legacy and celebrate the release of the upcoming film, "Valentino: The Last Emperor:. Rare sketches, original couture dresses, and interactive video will immerse you in the designer's world using Samsung's state-of-the art FPTV and HD camera technology.

See the exhibit during Fashion Week in New York September 4 - 10, and in London September 14 - 19. Details at The Red Thread website.

A VFG*** Must See*** Exhibit Los Angeles & Canberra

"Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008" opens at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on October 26, 2008 and runs through March 1, 2oo9. Featured will be 150 of the magazine's iconic portraits from the past century. Included will be several photographs by Edward Steichen, who was Vanity Fair's chief photographer for 13 years. Don't miss your chance to see this original portrait of Gloria Swanson, photographed by Steichen in 1924 and published in VF in February 1928.

The exhibit will travel to the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Autralia, June 12 - August 30, 2009.