Arnold Scaasi Exhibit at the MFA, Boston Part 2

Continuing my look at the exhibit Scaasi: American Couturier, here are a few of the remaining garments on display. These are all from the 1980s and 90s.

1980 strapless gown and stole made for Gayfryd Steinberg of organza leaves in black and white.

Yellow silk gown made for Gayfryd Steinberg in the 1980s.

1988 silk chiffon gown and stole for Gayfryd Steinberg. The silk is adorned with beads, pearls, and white mink fur.

Perhaps my favorite of all, this strapless gown for Gayfryd Steinberg is adorned with 3-dimensional roses, silver leaves, and white feathers, all trimmed in white mink fur.

Two ready-to-wear pieces made for Saks Fifth Avenue in the 80s.

Two more gowns for Gayfryd Steinberg, the one on the left from 1988.

1991 silk chiffon ombre gown in pinks and greens. The cocktail dress at the back is a ready-to-wear garment made for Saks Fifth Avenue.

If you live in New England or will be visiting soon, the Scaasi exhibit runs through June 19, 2011 and is well worth a visit!

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Arnold Scaasi Exhibit at the MFA, Boston Part 1

I finally got over to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston the other day and was able to see the wonderful exhibit of Arnold Scaasi's work in Scaasi: American Couturier. BTW, sorry for the bluriness of some of these photos. The gallery had low lighting and I was working without a tripod.

While Scaasi was designing ready-to-wear fashion in the 1950s and early 60s, he stopped doing so to concentrate on one-of-a-kind couture creations in 1964. He designed for actresses and American women of high society including Mitzi Gaynor, Elizabeth Taylor, Brooke Astor, Ivana Trump and First Ladies Mamie Eisenhower and Barbara and Laura Bush.

In 1984, at the urging of Saks Fifth Avenue, Scaasi returned to ready-to-wear with the debut of his Scaasi Boutique label. The MFA exhibit includes 28 pieces by Scaasi. Most are couture garments made for four of his clients.

The silver brocade gown and red coat were made for actress Arlene Francis as part of her wardrobe for the Broadway play Once More, with Feeling. The polka dot bubble dress was made for Francis in 1958.

From 1967, this gown was made for Joetta Norban (wife of one of the owners of the nightclub El Morroco) to wear to the Peacock Ball. Is is fashioned of silk that is completely covered in coral and turquoise beads, embroidery, and silver foil. Incredible!

This dress was made for actress Natalie Wood. She wore it for her appearance on What's My Line in 1966. The lace floats away from the body in the back and the black underdress is backless to the waist. My photo is blurry but you can get a better look in this video. Watch it to the end for a great view of the back! BTW, the dress worn by Arlene Francis in the video is probably also designed by Scaasi.



There was an entire platform in the center of the room of garments made for actress Barbra Streisand. You'll probably recognize the black sequined pantsuit that Streisand wore to the Oscars in 1969. The yellow and black jumpsuit at the back was one of the costumes Scaasi designed for the film On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.

Streisand wore the rhinestone adorned pink gown to the 1970 Academy Awards when she presented the Oscar for best actor. She wore a matching tall pillbox hat.

More tomorrow!

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Charles James Highlights at the Brooklyn Museum Exhibit

The Brooklyn Museum exhibit "American High Style: Fashioning a National Collection" includes many examples of the work of couturier Charles James. James worked closely with the museum through his involvement with the Design Lab and persuaded several of his clients, including Millicent Rogers, Austine Hearst, and Dominique de Menil, to donate their Charles James garments to the collection at the Brooklyn Museum. In 1993, Erik Lee Preminger donated 24 Charles James garments worn by his mother, Gypsy Rose Lee, to the museum. As a result, the museum holds nearly 200 garments and 600 related Charles James materials, including drawings and patterns of his work.

Many of Charles James' best known evening gowns were on display as part of the exhibit. Shown here are just a few. All photos were taken by me, and thanks to the museum for allowing photos for educational purposes! We appreciate it!

"Butterfly" ball gown, 1955.

Ivory silk satin evening gown, 1951.

"Four Leaf Clover" ball gown, 1953.

"Diamond" evening dress, 1957.

Evening dress, 1946.

"Tree" ball gown, 1955.

Two Charles James evening gowns, 1948 and 1947.

I hope you've enjoyed my reviews of the New York exhibits. I surely enjoyed visiting them!

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Exhibit Highlights - Brooklyn Museum

Doggy coat and leash, 1920.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the exhibit "American High Style: Fashioning an American Collection" at the Brooklyn Museum. You can see my review of this exhibit here. All photos were taken by me, and thanks to the museum for allowing photos for educational purposes! We appreciate it!

Madame Eta Hentz dress, 1944. That is not a print.
Each of those interlocking wings is individually seamed and stitched.

Sorelle Fontana evening gown and wrap worn by Ava Gardner in The Barefoot Contessa, 1954.

Claire McCardell swimsuit and sundress, 1944.

Carolyn Schnurer bathing suit and sundress, 1950.

Two 1940s evening gowns by Elsa Schiaparelli.

Elsa Schiaparelli necklace, 1938.

Evening gown by Marguery Bolhagen worn to the Kennedy inauguration ball.

Mme. Grés silk taffeta ball gown with incredible sleeves, 1969.
This was my favorite piece in the entire exhibit.

Two gowns by Gilbert Adrian inspired by cubism, 1944.

Pink silk poppy skirt and cape by Arnold Scaasi, 1983.

Halston tie dyed silk chiffon caftan, 1975.

Want to see more? You will find photos of all the pieces in the exhibit at the Collection Database of the Metropolitan Museum website. Tomorrow I'll show you some of the Charles James pieces in the exhibit.

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Review of the New York Fashion Exhibits - Brooklyn Museum

I was lucky enough to take a short trip to New York a couple of weeks ago with the sole intent of seeing the concurrent fashion exhibits on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. Both exhibits feature treasures from the Brooklyn Museum's extensive costume collection that has been transferred to the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute.

After my disappointment in the exhibit at the Met, I could only hope that the Brooklyn Museum's exhibit, "American High Style: Fashioning a National Collection" would take a better approach. My breath was literally taken away when I walked through the doors to be greeted by this display.

Clean walls, simple mannequins, and no clutter allowed me to focus on what the exhibit was all about - the clothes. And, unlike the Met, the Brooklyn Museum allowed non-flash photography! Shown here, from left to right: Pink gown by Bonnie Cashin, striped gown by Charles Worth, red gown by Charles James, and gold beaded evening set by Norman Norell.

The exhibit, curated by Jan Glier Reeder, features exquisite clothing from both American designers and French couturiers who influenced American fashion. Two large rooms are divided by angled walls to allow the display of more mannequins, and several smaller rooms feature rare garments and accessories. Above is a grouping of several of Charles James' most important designs.

And here, an entire wall of couture by Elsa Schiaparelli.

From left to right: French couture by Jean Desses, Mme. Gres, Fontana, Balenciaga hidden behind Dior, Givenchy, Yves St. Laurent, and Chanel.

A grouping of gowns and coats by Charles Worth.

Halston tie dye caftan next to a silk gown by James Galanos.

Fashion by American women designers included Vera Maxwell, Claire McCardell, Bonnie Cashin, and Carolyn Schnurer.

In my opinion, the Brooklyn Museum exhibit is far more successful that that of the Met, as I was able to enjoy the clothing and it's design for it's own sake without distraction and noise. Another plus is that the Brooklyn Museum was far less crowded than the Met. My advice? If you can only choose one, choose the exhibit in Brooklyn. And if you can't get to either, I highly recommend the book that accompanies the exhibit, "High Style: Masterworks from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art". You can get the paperback version for $25.00 plus shipping from the Brooklyn Museum Shop. Amazon only offers the more expensive hard cover version. Over the next two days, I'll show you more highlights of the Brooklyn exhibit.

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Review of the New York Fashion Exhibits - The Met

I was lucky enough to take a short trip to New York a couple of weeks ago with the sole intent of seeing the concurrent fashion exhibits on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. Both exhibits feature treasures from the Brooklyn Museum's extensive costume collection that has been transferred to the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute.

My first jaunt was to the Metropolitan Museum's exhibit, "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity". This exhibit focuses on American fashion from 1890 - 1940 and was curated by Andrew Bolton. The exhibit space is divided into 7 round rooms, each housing the clothing of an American female archetype from the "Gilded Age" of the 1890s through 1930s and 40s "Screen Sirens".

While the 80 costumes in this exhibit are indeed gorgeous, the focus on the clothing is overpowered by the "sets" which were designed by film production designer Nathan Crowley. The costumes are almost afterthoughts amongst distracting furniture, painted backdrops, music, and movies. The mood lighting is nearly too low and the last room is entirely wasted in a surround of projected images of modern American women that moves too quickly and features no clothing at all.

In the room dedicated to "The Patriot and The Suffragist", only 5 costumes are featured. They are dwarfed by two huge movie screens that show images from the Suffragist movement, although the movie wasn't working on the day I was there. In the "Screen Sirens" room, the clothes are an afterthought to the 3 large screens showing clips from classic films of the 1930s and 40s. I watched the people in the exhibit space focus on the films rather than the clothing. Too bad.

The Met commissioned hair stylist Julien d'Ys to fashion wigs for the mannequins; wigs that were sparkled, lacquered and sprayed. The wigs only added to the distraction from what should have been the centerpiece of the show, the clothes themselves.

This is the 3rd costume exhibit I've attended in recent years at the Met that has lost it's focus in unnecessary theatrics and splashy showmanship. It is ironic that in order to really see the details in the clothing, one has to buy the book that accompanies both exhibits. There you will find the clothing photographed on a simple mannequin set against a solid backdrop.

Elsewhere in the museum, you'll find Picassos and Rembrandts displayed on plain walls, well lit, and with no distracting movies or music. Why not do the same for Mainbochers and Lanvins? Overall, I found this exhibit to be disappointing, especially when compared to the one at the Brooklyn Museum, which I'll review tomorrow.

Here is the Met's video which shows the entire exhibit.

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New Costume Exhibitions - Get Thee to New York Part 2!

Yesterday, I featured the first part of a unique double exhibit taking place this summer in New York. Last year, the Metropolitan Museum and the Brooklyn Museum began the massive job of transferring the Brooklyn Museum's extensive costume collection to the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum. In the process, so many treasures have been discovered that an unusual double exhibit was designed to highlight the finds. Tomorrow, May 7, "American High Style: Fashioning a National Collection" opens at the Brooklyn Museum, and believe me, you do not want to miss it! The exhibit will feature approximately 85 garments from American designers, including Bonnie Cashin, Charles James, Norman Norell, Gilbert Adrian, and others, along with hats, shoes, handbags, and other accessories that have not been shown for years. Also included will be garments from French designers who influenced American fashion, such as Schiaparelli, Dior, Lanvin, and Vionnet. Following is just a smidgen of what you'll see at this exhibit.

Charles James "Butterfly" ball gown, 1955

Carolyn Schnurer cotton sundress, 1951

Claire McCardell wool and cotton ensemble, 1946

Arnold Scaasi silk bubble dress and coat, 1958

Gilbert Adrian silk and metallic evening ensemble worn by Janet Gaynor, 1949

"American High Style: Fashioning a National Collection" is at the Brooklyn Museum from May 7, 2010 - August 1, 2010. The Brooklyn Museum can be reached by subway from the Metropolitan Museum for $2.25 and the ride will take approximately 50 minutes. Do you need any other reasons to go to New York before August 1st? Go!

All images courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute.

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New Costume Exhibitions - Get Thee to New York!

If ever there was a summer to go to New York, 2010 is it. Last year, the Metropolitan Museum and the Brooklyn Museum began the massive job of transferring the Brooklyn Museum's extensive costume collection to the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum. In the process, so many treasures have been discovered that an unusual double exhibit was designed to highlight the finds. Today, "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" opens at the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan. This portion of the exhibit focuses on archetypes of American fashion, including "Gibson Girls" and "Screen Sirens". Following are some highlights you will see at the Met.

Jesse Franklin Turner gold lamé dress, 1933

Etta Hentz Grecian style evening gown, 1944

Charles James silk and metallic gown, 1936

Nellie Harrington sweater and pleated skirt, 1928

Silk and rhinestone evening gown, c. 1909-11

"American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art May 5, 2010 - August 15, 2010. Tomorrow, the companion exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, just a subway ride away!

All images courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Collection.

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