Arizona Costume Institute

10 Fashion Exhibitions You Won’t Want to Miss in 2012

2012-01-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

Left: George Hoyningen-Huené (Russian, 1900–1968). Portrait of Elsa Schiaparelli, 1932. Courtesy of Hoyningen-Huené/Vogue/Condé Nast Archive. Copyright © Condé Nast; Right: Guido Harari (Italian, born Cairo, 1952). Portrait of Miuccia Prada, 1999. Courtesy of Guido Harari/Contrasto/Redux

By Dhani Mau

Given the record-breaking success of this year’s Alexander McQueen retrospective at the Met, museums would be smart to put more fashion in their halls. And if today’s piece in WWD on museums “getting fashionable” is any indication, they are. Harold Koda, curator in charge of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, told the trade, “Clearly the critical as well as popular success of the McQueen show suggests that fashion design has a more secure place in the precincts of an art museum.”

While any museum would be hard-pressed to recreate the magic that was “Savage Beauty,” more fashion exhibits are popping up all over the world and several big ones are already on track to debut next year.

From Diana Vreeland to James Bond to the CFDA, here’s a list of fashion exhibitions you won’t want to miss in 2012.

CONTINUE READING HERE (Fashionista.com)...

Dennita Sewell Named One of the 20 Most Inspiring Arizona Women of 2011

2011-12-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

Every woman has to make choices.

Sometimes they are big and others call them courageous. Others are small acts that you wonder if anyone even notices but that add up to who we are.

But they are choices about how we lead our lives, about what we can get through, about what we thought we could do and what we can do.

This year we have found 20 women who inspire us, who make us want to take that risk, to try something new, to live how we want to - not how we think we should.

These are their stories.

READ MORE HERE (AZCentral.com)

Dennita Sewell's Five Facts You Didn't Know about the Little Black Dress

2011-12-12T23:07:00.001-07:00

Dennita Sewell - Photo by Ryan Wolf

Phoenix Art Museum's fashion curator Dennita Sewell dished out the history of the little black dress during the LBD cocktail party on Friday at Scottsdale's recently opened Saguaro hotel.

After imbibing, chatting, and snatching a few hors d'oeuvres, attendees sat down, facing mannequins dressed in a collection of LBDs from Robert Black.

Sewell shared photos and stories of the fashion staple throughout history and supplied the context in the evolution of the black dress.

Think you know all there is to know about the LBD? See five facts we learned from Sewell's talk after the jump.

CONTINUE READING HERE... (Phoenix New Times)

Dennita Sewell Featured on PHXFashionWeek

2011-06-09T17:19:00.003-07:00

Dennita Sewell

If you love fashion there are a number of directions you may follow to find the career you want. If you truly love the history of fashion, the evolving of it, the construction and the stories behind the incredible vintage pieces that can still occasionally be found, you may have a future as the Fashion Department Curator of a Museum, overseeing the exhibition of amazing fashions from past decades.

What Is "Haute Couture"?

2011-06-09T17:11:00.004-07:00

Schiaparelli, c1938

The word "couture" gets tossed around a lot these days, and its overuse has watered down the meaning of haute couture. In French, couture simply means "sewing" or "dressmaking," but in English parlance couture is an abbreviation for haute couture, which translates to "high sewing" (or more commonly "high fashion.")

Read more here (Goldstein Museum of Design)...

A Conversation With Rangina Hamidi

2011-03-20T20:40:00.002-07:00

By Sherry Sklar

If you believe in divine intervention, you will appreciate my story of how I came to know Rangina Hamidi, Founder of Kandahar Treasure and became aware of her important mission and work. Rangina started her company to empower women in Afghanistan by selling their traditional Khamak embroidered textiles worldwide. Our connection began not with transport on a magic carpet, but with an elaborately embroidered shawl draped around the shoulders of my friend and former colleague, Deb Glaser. We were enjoying lunch in the West Valley close to her new job at Thunderbird International School of Management. My eye immediately caught the beautifully worked fabric and complicated needlework of the piece she wore. Curious, I asked her how she came to own it…and so began my journey—which unfolded over the next three years—that led me to Rangina Hamidi. Rangina is a Fellow in Thunderbird’s Project Artemis, a program piloted in Afghanistan and launching soon in Jordan and Peru that helps educate women in business. These Fellows move forward with their individual accomplishments and education that contribute to the greater society and make an economic impact to empower women. I had the chance to “virtually” sit down with her and ask her the following questions. What I took away from our conversation is how different our perspectives are, and how my questions reflected and were limited by my knowledge of the day-to-day reality and challenges that face the people of Afghanistan.

Sherry: In working with the women in Afghanistan, what have you found is their personal concerns and ambitions for their future, the future of their children (daughters in particular) and their nation (and its place and perception in the international community)?

Rangina: To all of the women of Afghanistan, but specifically to the women of Kandahar who live in constant fear, security is the number one priority in their life today. Local women have raised their voices loud and clear to ask for an end to violence on all fronts. With 30+ years of violence and war, the women are now saying that nothing has been achieved other than increasing the number of deaths, creating more orphans and widows each day with this unjust violence. The women all dream of a peaceful Afghanistan where their children can go to school without fear; and a prosperous and developed Afghanistan so that its poor citizens can enjoy their life inside their country rather than aspiring for nations abroad. The women of the South are even willing to give up some of their freedoms to make peace with insurgents because they say "at least I will know that my son, my husband, brother or father will not be blown up in a suicide attack!" The women of Kandahar again selflessly want peace for their children at the cost of their own freedoms - this is trait that the women here are known for!

Sherry: How is Kandahar Treasure sustainably financed? In addition to profit garnered by sales, how is fresh capital obtained for supplies, inventory and expansion? Is the business micro-financed? If so, is this a banking system you developed to fund your venture exclusively (in other words in addition to production do you have a dedicated lending arm?) or are you working with other established non-profit funding organizations such as FINCA?

Rangina: Kandahar Treasure is solely financed by its sales and some personal donations from friends and family from time to time. We are a for-profit entity so we do not qualify to apply for grants, but individuals who are not interested in getting tax benefits do donate to us and we gratefully appreciate their gifts. But this is about 5% of annual budget. The remaining 95% of our annual budget comes from sales. We now have a permanent shop at the Kandahar Air Field where we sell our fine hand-made products to all of the military staff present or visiting Kandahar. Our competition on the field is cheap machine made products from either China, Pakistan or Iran. The quality of our products speak for itself and we have a great amount of repeat customers who always bring new customers. We are doing really well at the shop. Additionally, we continue to participate in exhibitions and fairs where our products are sold directly to customers or to wholesalers. We currently have a good problem in which there is more demand than the capacity in which we produce! The winter season always slows our women down because the days are short and there is no electricity during night to produce as well...so we have less products coming than our busy summer days.

Sherry: In light of the fundamental shift in global communication to social networking, the blogosphere and internet commerce, how will your business leverage these technologies to generate business, raise awareness and create social change in Afghan society?

Rangina: In the Afghan society, I have to honest and say that the majority of the population is still very distant from the technology world - primarily because there is no access to technology without power and we are still struggling to get power (electricity) in the city even. So the majority of the Afghan population is still very much unaware of the benefits of internet, etc. However, in the Afghan way we are touching lives through our very real network with the women. With over 450 women directly benefiting from our program and multiply that by at 10 other - we are easily reaching 4500 people on a daily basis. Because we are meeting the basic need of the poor in our society, we are lucky and proud to say that we have not received a threat to this day about our work. Sympathizers of the insurgent community has even sent their praises of our work because we work within the social realities set by the communities here. Kandahar Treasure's philosophy is to spring change from within. We believe that by meeting women's basic need of financial independence in Kandahar, we are certain that the changes that will result from this very attainable independence will not only be long lasting but will be revolutionary changes for the lives of not only our women but also the men in the society.

So even if there is no light at night, we continue to work to improve the lives of our people so that a brighter and hopeful tomorrow can be built for our whole nation.

The world's most expensive handbags (one costs $3.8 million!)

2011-03-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

The "1001 Nights Diamond Purse" by House of Mouawad is covered in diamonds. Cost? $3.8 million

Since the fashion industry is constantly recycling past styles and struggling to come up with new concepts, often "in the know" stylish types attempt to get noticed by creating or wearing the most expensive or most extravagant item possible (ahem, Lady Gaga). Until now the big status get was the $20,000 Hermes Birkin bag (made famous by Samantha on "Sex and the City"), but it's nothing compared to House of Mouawad's new "1001 Nights Diamond Purse," which clocks in at a whopping $3.8 million.

Encrusted with over 381 carats of diamonds, this heart-shaped bag has been named the world's most expensive handbag by the Guinness Book of World Records. In it, 4,517 diamonds were used—105 yellow, 56 pink and 4,356 colorless—and it took 10 artisans 1,100 hours to complete. They dedicated four months to the project.

“The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse is designed to mesmerize with its lavish attention to detail and elaborate workmanship incorporating thousands of diamonds,” Pascal Mouawad, co-guardian of the House of Mouawad, told the Today Show. The purse was on display at the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition this past weekend, and it is not yet known if there was a buyer.

See more crazy expensive handbags here...

Fashion Independent Exhibition Catalogue

2011-01-31T23:06:00.001-07:00

The Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor exhibition catalogue will be available March 2nd!

Published by Phoenix Art Museum, Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor is edited by Dennita Sewell with photography by Ken Howie. Cloth bound, 9.5 x 12 in. / 140 pgs / 130 color / 15 b&w

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

Fashion Independent opens at Phoenix Art Museum on February 27th.

Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor

2011-01-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor features more than 60 full ensembles and accessories that provide a comprehensive look at the wardrobe of a dynamic and sophisticated woman. Often designed by Taylor herself, the clothes demonstrate a refined personal style reflective of her outdoor savvy and gracious indoor elegance.

Fashion Independent Luncheon

2011-01-16T22:46:00.001-07:00

A Luncheon celebrating
Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor
with guest speaker
Pamela Fiori
Editor-at-Large, Town&Country

Tuesday, March 1, 2011
at Noon

For information about purchasing a seat at the ACI table at the $150 and $250 levels, please email info@arizonacostumeinstitute.com and include “Fashion Independent Luncheon” in the subject header.

Seating is limited at these particular tables, so please reserve your space soon.

This event is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. Proceeds directly support the Ann Taylor Bonfoey exhibition.

For more information on the Fashion Independent exhibition, opening February 27th at Phoenix Art Museum, CLICK HERE...

Facelift for Met's Costume Institute

2011-01-16T22:23:00.002-07:00

Jonathan and Lizzie Tisch donated $10 million for a new gallery within the institute.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is planning a major renovation of its renowned Costume Institute. The project will enable the museum to show off part of its world-class permanent collection 10 months out of the year in a more contemporary setting.

Jonathan M. Tisch, the chairman and chief executive of Loews Hotels, and his wife, Lizzie, are giving $10 million specifically to create a new gallery space within the Costume Institute, the museum announced late Tuesday afternoon.

The renovation, whose total cost has not been determined, follows two other major building projects under way at the museum: the new Islamic galleries, scheduled to open on Nov. 1, and the third and final phase of the refurbishing of the American Wing, which will be completed next January. Still, the Met’s director, Thomas P. Campbell, said he wasn’t stopping there. “No one should think that the Met is about to go to sleep,” Mr. Campbell said in a telephone interview. “We have several other major projects planned, of which the Costume Institute is the first.”

TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...
New York Times - Carol Vogel

Most Intriguing Arizonans of 2010

2011-01-01T00:39:00.005-07:00

Dennita Sewell

Captivating. Inspiring. Entertaining. Surprising.

2010 proved a momentous year in Arizona, and the people behind the events were no less enthralling. The fall elections were memorable for not only who won and lost but also who risked a loss. Entrepreneurs found success in both creating what's new and redefining what's old.

People at church, at school, in the neighborhood strove to make a difference in how people live. And people on the court, on the field and on the stage did their best so people could play. New leadership here. A scientific discovery there. Something just plain cool over there. A number of Arizonans this year have shown just why they are so intriguing.

TO CONTINUE READING, CLICK HERE

ACI Barneys New York Event - November 4th

2010-10-29T03:09:00.000-07:00

Join us at Barneys New York at Scottsdale Fashion Square on Thursday, November 4th from 5pm-7pm for Champagne + Jewels!

For more information, CLICK HERE

Jet-Setting, The Russian Way

2010-10-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

“A star for a star,” Tatiana Sorokko joked of her blinding starburst diamond earrings at Roger Vivier on Madison Avenue last night. “Well, at least for my 15 minutes,” she added. Twenty years in the fashion spotlight is more like it; the former runway favorite was one of the early Russian models, if you could imagine such a time. Now Sorokko is in town after stops in Paris and Moscow to celebrate Extending the Runway: Tatiana Sorokko Style, a hardcover tome to accompany an exhibit of her couture collection currently showing at the Phoenix Art Museum.

TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...

Contemporary Fashion and Collecting Symposium

2010-10-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

Join Tatiana Sorokko, Harper’s Bazaar Editor in Chief, Glenda Bailey, and renowned couture designers James Galanos and Ralph Rucci for

Contemporary Fashion and Collecting

Saturday, October 23, 2010

This exclusive event brings together some of the fashion industry’s most respected and knowledgeable experts to discuss the craftsmanship and unique designs of contemporary fashion, as well as personal aesthetic. In addition, new collection pieces gifted in honor of Extending the Runway: Tatiana Sorokko Style by James Galanos, Donna Karan , Oliver Lapidus, Monique Lhuilier, J. Mendel and Ralph Rucci will be unveiled and discussed for the first time.

11:30am Arrivals

12pm Presentation and conversation

1pm Lunch by Arcadia Farms

2pm Tour Extending the Runway: Tatiana Sorokko Style with Tatiana Sorokko

Advance tickets required and must be purchased by October 20 as seating is limited.

Click Here to purchase tickets or mail to:

Fashion Symposium, Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004

$100 per person open seating ($75 is tax deductible)

$250 per person reserved seating ($225 is tax deductible)

$2,500 preferred reserved seating table of 10 ($2,250 is tax deductible)

For more information contact Helen Nosova at 602.257.2151

The New Abnormal: Retail Evolution

2010-10-11T17:45:00.001-07:00

Fashion Group International of Arizona, a global, non-profit, professional organization with 5000 members in the fashion industry including apparel, accessories, beauty and home, will be hosting, "The New Abnormal: Retail Evolution" a panel discussion about new realities in retail and what's on the horizon on Wednesday, October 27th at the Hotel Valley Ho.

The guest moderater will be Robyn Waters, Target’s former Vice President of Trend, Design, and Product Development, author of The Trendmaster’s Guide: Get A Jump on What Your Customer Wants Next, a simple and witty guide to tracking and translating trends into sales and profit. Her second book, The Hummer and the Mini: Navigating the Contradictions of the New Trend Landscape, explores the contradictory nature of today’s consumer.

The panel will include: Steve Helm, Assistant VP Property Manager, Westcor Partners, AVP; Jeff Moloznik, Development Manager, Red Development; Anna Manna; Charmin Charlie; and Tom Simon, HUB Clothing/G-Star.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

Dennita Sewell on The Martha Stewart Show

2010-09-22T05:43:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE to watch Dennita Sewell, Tatiana Sorokko and Ralph Rucci’s appearance on The Martha Stewart Show! (September 20)

Extending The Runway: Tatiana Sorokko Style

2010-09-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

Great News! Phoenix Art Museum and Extending the Runway: Tatiana Sorokko Style will be featured nationally on the Martha Stewart Show! Please tune in this Monday, September 20 at 10 am to the Hallmark channel. Below is a local directory for the Hallmark channel:

Cox- channel 130
Cox HD- channel 792
Qwest- channel 73
Direct TV- channel 312
Dish Network- channel 185

The exhibition is open now and will be on view through January 2, 2011 in Ellman Fashion Design Gallery and Orme Lewis Gallery.

More information on the Martha Stewart web site here....

Halston Event Photos Online Now

2010-09-15T04:39:00.002-07:00

Arizona Foothills Magazine has posted photos from the recent screening of "Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston". Thank you ACI Nouveau for organizing such a wonderful event!

VIEW PHOTOS

Schumer Bill Seeks to Protect Fashion Design

2010-09-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

The American fashion industry has been pushing hard over the last four years for copyright protection for its designs. An earlier bill in the House was deemed too broad; clothing makers argued that protection against knock-offs would only encourage frivolous lawsuits from people claiming they had the idea first. Today, after a year of negotiations, Senator Charles E. Schumer introduced a bill that seemed to satisfy the different sides of the fashion industry — and may provide some protection, too.

The bill, the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act, has the support of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), whose individual members represent the creative core of the industry, and the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), which represents more than 700 manufacturers and suppliers and by its estimate accounts for about 75 percent of the industry’s business. The AAFA had argued that the House bill was too broad and would expose its members to lawsuits.

Senator Schumer brought the two groups together. “In the first go-around there was nothing that gave our members protection,” Kevin Burke, president and chief executive officer of the AAFA said, adding that there was “a vast difference” in the Schumer bill. “It provides the protection for unique design.”

Fordham’s New Fashion Law Institute Will Serve, Protect, Talk Shoes

2010-09-13T00:18:00.001-07:00

Two dress forms grace the entrance of Fordham University Law professor Susan Scafidi’s new ground-floor office. One is hugged by a lavender RM by Roland Mouret moon dress, and the other wears a pink knockoff by the — perhaps ironically named — label Rare. “It’s no accident that I put pink dresses on there,” Scafidi says, gesturing to the dress forms. “Fashion is a pink-and-lavender discipline. It's associated with women and gay men, and there is an ongoing perception that this is a lighthearted subject. It can be, but the legal issues are every bit as complicated and hard to crack as in any other field.”

Scafidi is the director of Fordham University’s new Fashion Law Institute, the first of its kind, which officially launches September 8. The Institute, supported in part by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, will be the primary nerve center for the academic study of fashion-related legal issues; it'll also offer pro bono legal counseling to designers in need. “Fashion law is a new academic field and it’s new to even call it 'fashion law,' never mind to even conceive of it as a whole," says Scafidi.

It's been an eventful year for the pink-and-lavender discipline, one that will not only see the opening of the Fashion Law Institute, but may see the first legislative extension of limited intellectual-property protection bestowed on an industry long plagued by copycats. Last Thursday, New York senator Charles E. Schumer introduced a ten-page Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act to Congress (read the full text here), the third iteration of a bill that’s been argued twice before. Scafidi is no stranger to Washington, D.C., having grown up there, testified for fashion-related intellectual property issues, and worked closely with legislators on this bill (as well as past versions). The day after the bill officially dropped, Scafidi sat down with The Cut for a one-on-one about the forthcoming Fashion Law Institute and why it's so important for designers and retailers to really know the law.

Are Phoenix Museums Pandering to Pop Culture or Is Fashion Really Art?

2010-09-02T01:20:00.001-07:00

Scott Morrow/Phosphor Photography

Models for fashion designer Camille Messina pose beside the Flor Garduno exhibit at "SMoCA Nights."

At the turn of the 20th century, high fashion was considered an art form — thanks to the likes of Parisian couturiers Paul Poiret and Jeanne Paquin, who translated artistic trends such as Orientalism into wearable designs. Today, whether fashion is an art form is debatable. In Sally Potter's mystery flick Rage, Dame Judi Dench declares that "fashion is not an art form. If it's anything at all, it's pornography to which millions of people are addicted." Considering more than 4 million viewers tuned in to last season's première of Lifetime's Project Runway, that's hard to argue.

So where does Phoenix fall in the "fashion as fine art" debate? We're one of the few cities in the nation whose major art museum has a dedicated fashion gallery. Smaller spaces such as Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art have hosted events to bring local designers and artists together, and Scorpius Dance Theatre invited fashion design into the performing arts via last season's Catwalk show. While designer Marc Jacobs has said that clothing cannot be considered art "because it is only valid if it is lived in and worn," some Phoenix arts venues treat an Armani dress with the same respect as a Warhol or a Gauguin.

Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston

2010-08-26T01:17:00.003-07:00

On behalf of Arizona Costume Institute Nouveau Division I would like to invite you to our annual fundraising party at Phoenix Art Museum on Saturday, September 11th. This year we have the honor of showing a new documentary about Halston, which has only been screened in New York and LA.

No one represented the 70’s quite like legendary designer Halston and, in this new documentary, “Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston” filmmaker Whitney Smith takes us on a fabulous fun-and-fact filled journey through that man’s life and times. Join us for a Studio 54 themed party, where guests are encouraged to dress in their best retro garb to recreate the 70’s scene. The party starts at 6pm with light hors d’ouvres and a cash-only bar. The screening will start promptly at 7:30pm. Exclusively for this event, original Halston works from the Museum’s permanent fashion design collection will be on view. Proceeds from this event benefit Phoenix Art Museum’s Arizona Costume Institute, which supports the fashion design collection acquisitions and programming. -Celine Hacche

For more information, CLICK HERE
To purchase tickets for this event, CLICK HERE

Some of the Earliest Color Motion Picture Footage You Will Ever See!

2010-08-26T00:59:00.005-07:00

Finally! A story where my interest in fashion and fashion history intersects with my love of silent movies! These Kodachrome color tests from 1922 are quite incredible. This dreamy, surreal footage is archived at the George Eastman House and is an early test of the Two-Color Kodachrome Process.

Mae Murray

"In these newly preserved tests, made in 1922 at the Paragon Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey, actress Mae Murray (the last woman in the clip wearing a red cape) appears almost translucent, her flesh a pale white that is reminiscent of perfectly sculpted marble, enhanced with touches of color to her lips, eyes, and hair. She is joined by actress Hope Hampton (the first woman to appear wearing peach polka dot dress) modeling costumes from The Light in the Dark (1922), which contained the first commercial use of Two-Color Kodachrome in a feature film. Ziegfeld Follies actress Mary Eaton (woman #2- in pink chiffon, reclining) and an unidentified woman and child also appear.

Hope Hampton

George Eastman House is the repository for many of the early tests made by the Eastman Kodak Company of their various motion picture film stocks and color processes. The Two-Color Kodachrome Process was an attempt to bring natural lifelike colors to the screen through the photochemical method in a subtractive color system. First tests on the Two-Color Kodachrome Process were begun in late 1914. Shot with a dual-lens camera, the process recorded filtered images on black/white negative stock, then made black/white separation positives. The final prints were actually produced by bleaching and tanning a double-coated duplicate negative (made from the positive separations), then dyeing the emulsion green/blue on one side and red on the other. Combined they created a rather ethereal palette of hues."

Mary Eaton

Icons of Costume: Hollywood's Golden Era and Beyond

2010-08-18T23:09:00.003-07:00

Everyone has a favorite movie. It could be a recent flick—or perhaps a classic from the 40’s or 50's with maybe Elizabeth Taylor or Clark Gable. The Icons of Costume: Hollywood's Golden Era and Beyond exhibit at the James A. Michener Art Museum gave me an opportunity to reflect on how many movies have brought so much pleasure to my life. Like the Grace Kelly Fashion Icon exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum, pictures of the movie stars’ outfits reminded me of a past elegance which we rarely experience in the “shoot ‘em up” movies of today!

It’s hard to say which star or which costume was my favorite. However, Esther Williams sequin gown was completely captivating. Her picture in a restaurant scene in the dress with two men in evening clothes told a story in itself if you let your imagination have a few moments to reflect on it. Other gowns worn by Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich or Carol Burnett were stunning and fun as well.

Two ACI friends visited the Icons exhibit with me this summer and thoroughtly enjoyed it. Sherry Sklar came in July for a day and had a chance to meet Curator Erika Jaeger Smith, who graciously toured Sherry and some other friends. She described the difficulties of mounting the exhibit, especially having to cut down all of the mannequins because of the small waists of the early actors and actresses. Even Marilyn Monroe’s gold lame gown wouldn’t stretch around the currently sized display vehicles. We all remarked, “Wow! We didn’t have any idea that Rita Hayworth or Jane Russell had such small waists!” Sherry also felt the quality of the costumes and how well they had been preserved was noteworthy. She added, “The tour through Hollywood’s golden age was impressive in scope and focused on the early years of film-making. We saw many iconic costumes from movies so familiar on Turner Movie Classics. It was a delightfully informative afternoon that made you want to don a feather boa and strike a pose!”

Later in August, Barbara Payne was introduced to the James A. Michener Art Museum and Pennsylvania Impressionists artists. While she thought Redfield and Garber were terrific, she was especially enthusiastic about the costumes on display. Barbara didn’t waste a lot of time on the James Dean or Arnold Schwartzenegger outfits! I remember her saying, “The stars’ photographs alongside the costumes enhanced the exhibition.” Barbara was quite taken by the Elizabeth Taylor evening gown which she wore in her role as Vivien Leigh in “Gone with the Wind”. The green velvet one, sewn from the drapes! It was great to share a local cultural experience that was so beautifully done.

More than 55 costumes, used over the last 80 years of film-making, are still on display plus some fantastic pieces of jewelry, props and a number of hats. The Icons exhibit doesn’t conclude until September 5th. Designs by Edith Head, Adrian, Walter Plumkett and others represent high style and were an important tool in setting the mood and the historic period. I suggest that if you visit Bucks County, Pennyslvania, you try to catch the Icons of Costume in Doylestown!

A bonus to the Hollywood costume exhibit was a chance to see the designs of Michelle Berkowitz in the Pfundt Gallery. Michelle is a fabric artist of extraordinary talent. Her designs in some cases were exact to the period, such as a complete Civil War era dress, coat, bag and hat. Other items were mainly evening gowns of wonderful design and fabric which Michelle has worn to various events, mostly charity functions. Her husband, George Turak, always accompanies Michelle when she speaks in the Costume Gallery about her fabric art. He beams as she recalls details of her fabric or button selection and incidents which have happened while making or wearing her amazing dresses. A wonderful enhancement to the overall exhibit!

For more information on this exhibition, CLICK HERE

By Jane Jozoff

Photos: Barbara Stanwyck, The Great Man's Lady, 1942. Design: Edith Head. Black velvet gown, silver bugle beads. Private Collection. Provided courtesy of the James A. Michener Art Museum.

Sidewalk Catwalk

2010-08-12T13:27:00.003-07:00

The Fashion Center SIDEWALK CATWALK Presented by LF USA is a one-of-a-kind public art exhibit, created by the Fashion Center BID and featuring the work of New York City's top fashion designers.

30 of New York's leading designers and two student design teams from Parson's School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology participated. The exhibit showcases custom-built mannequins, displayed runway-style down Broadway from Times Square to Herald Square, each modeling a bold, one-of-a-kind manifestation of its designer's artistic vision.

The Designers are:

Victor Alfaro

Badgley Mischka

John Bartlett

Thom Browne

Stephen Burrows

Kenneth Cole

Maria Cornejo

Carlos Falchi

Prabal Gurung

Tommy Hilfiger

Betsey Johnson

Norma Kamali

Donna Karan

Naeem Khan

Michael Kors

Nanette Lepore

Adam F. Lippes

Catherine Malandrino

Nicole Miller

Isaac Mizrahi

Rebecca Moses

Rachel Roy

Jill Stuart

Elie Tahari

Rebecca Taylor

Yeolee Teng

Isabel Toledo

Carmen Marc Valvo

Diane Von Furstenberg

Jason Wu

Fashion Institute of Technology

Parsons The New School for Design

Photos by Sherry Sklar

For more information: www.sidewalk-catwalk.com

The Fresh Tutu Brigade

2010-06-16T18:52:00.001-07:00

If there is a heaven for people in the costume industry, it surely includes an infinite walk-in closet: one-stop shopping no matter the fabric, historical period or one-of-a-kind button needed.

For Marc Happel, director of New York City Ballet’s costume shop, reality is somewhat more challenging. He and his staff are charged with rebuilding costumes made years or decades ago, sometimes with materials that have long since gone out of style or production. Meanwhile, shrinking budgets, rising costs and an imperiled garment district make it increasingly difficult to keep City Ballet’s vast repertory looking fresh.

The 26 Blocks Project

2010-05-21T22:49:00.002-07:00

Check out one of the most talked about events ever to hit Phoenix and After Hours Gallery...the 26 BLOCKS Project.

See what the Arizona Republic, Phoenix New Times, College Times and cyberspace have been buzzing about.

Here's the scoop:

What: 52 of some of the Valley's top writers and photographers collaborate, forming an intriguing union of ideas, civic perspectives and artists - featuring 26 blocks of the downtown Phoenix area; each block photographed and written about in a way that captures the most intriguing aspects of the culture and/or past, present or imagined future of each block.

When: Friday, May 21st 6-9 PM and continuing through May 30th

Where: After Hours Gallery
116 W. McDowell Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85003
602-710-2398
info@afterhoursgallery.com

One block west of the Phoenix Art Museum and the Light Rail stop at Central & McDowell

Experience 26 Blocks and celebrate downtown Phoenix in a way it deserves to be recognized.

More information:

The 26 Blocks Project - www.26blocks.com

After Hours Gallery - www.afterhoursgallery.com

American Women: Fashioning a National Identity

2010-05-16T15:07:00.002-07:00

American Women: Fashioning a National Identity at New York’s Metropolitan Museum is the story of how the heiresses to robber baron fortunes, dressed in bustled European ball gowns, morphed into sparky, sporty Gibson girls. Having won the battle for suffrage and planted the seeds of feminism, they matured from flapper to screen siren. Stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo and Rita Hayworth, camping it up in old movies, make this a show with a Hollywood ending.

Except that a final, digitalized room brings the story into the 21st century, with rotating projections of influential women from Serena Williams to Michelle Obama.

American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity, an exhibition – organized by Andrew Bolton, supported by Gap and Condé Nast – which will be held at the New York Metropolitan Museum from May 5th to August 15th, 2010, based on the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection, recently established at the MET. An exploration of developing perceptions of the modern American woman from 1890 to 1940 and how they affected the way in which American women are seen today. The exhibition will include works by Travis Banton, Gabrielle Chanel, Callot Soeurs, Elizabeth Hawes, Charles James, Jeanne Lanvin, Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli, Valentina and Charles Frederick Worth.

Cynthia Rowley "Shop On Wheels" - One Week Only!

2010-05-11T21:48:00.002-07:00

One of our favorite ACI fashionistas happened to be exiting Barneys at Scottsdale Fashion Square this week and noticed a funny truck parked in the parking lot behind the new wing. It was a Cynthia Rowley pop up store that is parked there for only a week! Apparently, it has only been promoted on a few local blogs. So, if you're into Cynthia Rowley, there's still time to check it out!

The "Shop On Wheels" truck is parked on the North side of the new East Wing (Barneys), just in front of the main entrance and will be there through Friday, May 14th, from 10am-8pm daily.

The Shop on Wheels is a shipping truck converted into a sleek Cynthia Rowley store, with hardwood floors, a fitting room, printed-fabric wall coverings and Lucite fixtures. It carries the entire range of items in the Cynthia Rowley collection—clothing, shoes, bags, eyewear,
jewelry, legwear and more.

In addition, the Shop on Wheels will carry the Cynthia Rowley for Roxy collection, which officially launched April 1 at Barneys New York, followed by Colette in Paris, Quiksilver in Tokyo, David Jones in Sydney and 10 Corso Como in Milan. The collection is also available at Barneys Scottsdale, Cynthia Rowley stores, cynthiarowley.com and Roxy.com.

The Cynthia Rowley for Roxy collection marks the first time that the iconic surfwear company has partnered with a fashion designer. Cynthia, a surfer herself, created functional pieces, like wetsuits and swimsuits, as well as off-the-beach items like neoprene dresses and ballet flats.

When not stationed in Scottsdale, the Shop on Wheels cruises the country, stopping at boutiques, private homes on appointment and surprise locations. Prior to Scottsdale it visited Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Miami.

Shoppers can follow the mobile store on Twitter and the Cynthia Rowley blog, or call or email to schedule a Cynthia Rowley party in their own driveway. The Shop on Wheels is a new way to think about retail, and for Cynthia Rowley to offer her customers the ultimate in service—the store literally comes to them.

Can't make it out to the truck? Call or email the Shop on Wheels, and a Cynthia Rowley stylist will do a private fitting at your home or office.

Cynthia Rowley: www.cynthiarowley.com

Follow the Cynthia Rowley Shop on Wheels:

Twitter - http://twitter.com/CRowleyonwheels

Blog - http://www.cynthiarowley.com/content/

Contact the Cynthia Rowley Shop on Wheels:

Phone – (917) 428-4430

Email – mobilefashionunit@cynthiarowley.com

The Met Costume Institute Gala

2010-05-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

Considered the best social ticket in New York, celebs from the East and West coasts converged for the annual glittering fundraiser on May 3rd. This year, Oprah Winfrey co-chaired the event with Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and the Gap's Patrick Robinson. "I've heard about this (ball) for years," Winfrey said on the red carpet. "This is a dream come true for me." The gala kicked off the Costume Institute exhibit "American Women: Fashioning a National Identity," which runs from Wednesday to August 15 at the Met.

NYTimes coverage of the Costume Institute Gala

NYTimes Slideshow of the Gala's red carpet

Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective

2010-05-02T22:26:00.003-07:00

A retrospective of fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent opened in March at the Petit Palais in Paris, only two years after his death in 2008.

The impressive retrospective covers 15 chapters of his career, its critical acclaim and occasional failures, including his 1971 forties-inspired "scandal collection", which was pummeled by critics at the time. The exhibit begins with his early work for Christian Dior and continues through to his final collection, in 2002. In total, there are 307 pieces of couture and ready-to-wear fashions accompanied by films, artwork and photos.

Designs for Catherine Deneuve in the 1967 movie Belle de Jour, Lauren Bacall, and the Duchess Of Windsor are included as well as creations that were inspired by art, far away places (he is said to have used his imagination and preferred that to travel) and the glamour of Hollywood.

The YSL Retrospective runs through August 29, 2010 at the Musée du Petit Palais in Paris.

The Thoughtful Dresser

2010-05-01T00:12:00.001-07:00

The latest book from esteemed British writer Linda Grant caught our eye soon after we read the first few paragraphs of a pre-release galley. Few writers have captured us with their prose as quickly as Grant did. While the book's title might discourage those readers who care little for fashion, it would be an opportunity missed not to have a look and see what Grant can do with words and ideas.

Beginning on page 74, we've excerpted a selection from the first chapter of The Thoughtful Dresser: The Art of Adornment, the Pleasures of Shopping, and Why Clothes Matter. The book debuts April 20, and we hope it gets the attention it clearly deserves.

Mode en France "History of Fashion"

2010-04-29T18:44:00.002-07:00

A fun video taken from William Klein's retrospective DVD "In and Out of Fashion" but is originally from the 1986 Mode en France documentary. Interesting to see the evolution in undergarments worn with fashion over the last 100 years.

A 10 Year Old With A Passion For Fashion!

2010-04-29T18:10:00.003-07:00

Cecilia Cassini is making waves in the fashion world...and she's only 10 years old. She's started sewing at age 6, writing letters to Chanel at age 7 and now she's dressing young Hollywood. Check out her interview with Today's Jenna Bush Hager.

Keeping Well Dressed

2010-04-17T23:32:00.002-07:00

With the war on fashionable women at home had to make due with the clothes they had, and as the narrator says, "either a sagging hem or a gaping seam is a sure way to kill glamour!"

Grace Kelly: Style Icon

2010-04-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

Fashion and British royalty attended the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for the opening of its "Grace Kelly: Style Icon" exhibit. On display are Kelly's most famous dresses made by Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Yves St Laurent. Designer Erdem Moraliogu told WWD, "Her style was so classic and that makes it modern. I'm sure there are...dresses in the exhibition that you could wear today."

Grace Kelly: Style Icon runs from April 17th through September 26, 2010 at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

CLICK HERE to learn more.

Tea and Conversation with Francesca Bianco

2010-04-13T13:59:00.002-07:00

Saturday, April 24 - 10:30am

Orientation Room at Phoenix Art Museum

Arizona Costume Institute Nouveau invites you to Tea and Conversation with Francesca Bianco. Francesca will discuss insights and experiences from her life long career in the fashion industry, her friendships with major designers and her views on current fashion. Through her career in fashion Francesca has traveled the world, become an expert at reconstructing lace and has influenced the careers of many successful fashion designers. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear private stories from this fashion insider and learn how you too can have a rewarding and sustainable career in the fashion industry.

Kindly respond by April 22 to (602) 307-2011 or aci-rsvp@cox.net

Free with Museum admission.

Fashion Horizons 1941

2010-04-01T21:20:00.008-07:00

Several Paramount starlets take a bright and breezy vacation in the southwest in this color film from 1941, while a bright and breezy narrator cheerfully describes their trip to us, describing every outfit each woman wears in great detail and occasionally throwing in a plug for TWA.

This film will be of particular interest to Arizonans as our starlets spend some time in the Grand Canyon State starting at the 6:40 mark of Part 1 and all of Part 2. Scenes include aerial shots of the Valley, our ladies spending time at the Camelback Inn, Phoenix Airport, Meteor Crater, the Grand Canyon, Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam), Boulder City Airport and Lake Mead.

ACI Links à la Mode: The 1940s

2010-04-01T20:22:00.012-07:00

We're all getting excited for the opening of In The Mood at Phoenix Art Museum in just a few days! So we thought we'd explore some 1940s sites for inspiration!

Links à la Mode
Fashion Era - 1940s
The Costume Gallery - 1940s
Donna Flower Vintage Fabrics
So Vintage Patterns
Mom's Patterns
Fabrics Net - Vintage Notions

Blogs
Swing Fashionista - a look book blog of modern clothing with a 40s feel
Glamour Daze
Excerpts From The Annals of Everyday Life - 1940s photos
Retro Age Vintage Fabrics

In The Mood Exhibition Opening Reception

2010-04-01T17:54:00.009-07:00

In The Mood

Opening Reception and Exhibition Viewing

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

6:30 - 9pm

Introduction with Dennita Sewell, Curator of Fashion Design

Whiteman Hall at 7pm

USO inspired hors d’oeuvres & no host cash bar. Celebrate in 1940s style with swing dancers and Bart and Friends Band.

Kindly respond by April 5th to (602) 307-2011 or ACI-RSVP@cox.net

This exhibition runs at Phoenix Art Museum from April 3 through August 15, 2010.

For more information on In The Mood continue reading here...

Ralph Rucci Adds Some Strut

2010-03-26T00:00:00.017-07:00

Could Ralph Rucci be a rock star designer?

Mr. Rucci dresses Martha Stewart, Deeda Blair and the decorator Susan Gutfreund, and they don’t harbor any illusions about the excitement of double-faced cashmere, a Rucci mainstay.

But here he was, Thursday night in his mirror-lined studio in SoHo, before a crowd that included Patti Smith, Whoopi Goldberg and Fran Lebowitz, with Grace Slick growling on the soundtrack — and it hit you that the clothes, most of them, had the extra quality of performance.

Who would have thought? Mr. Rucci’s clothes have a devotion to elegance that can feel as pitiless as a sermon on a hot summer day. Or, at least they did. In recent seasons he has lightened up on the construction and the high-priestess lines. And the difference this time, besides holding the show in-house, where the clothes looked that much more pleasurable, is that Mr. Rucci seemed far more ready to let the choir — that is, his capable workroom — sing and whoop and not allow his designs to compete with it.

CONTINUE READING... (The New York Times - Feb. 2010)

Cartier And America Extended Until May 9th

2010-03-25T23:50:00.009-07:00

Cartier and America covers the history of the House of Cartier from its first great successes as the “king of jewelers and jeweler to kings” during the Belle Epoque through to the 1960s and 1970s, when Cartier supplied celebrities of the day with their jewels and luxury accessories. Derived mainly from the private Cartier Collection housed in Geneva, the spectacular array of more than 300 objects includes jewelry of the Gilded Age and Art Deco periods, as well as freestanding works of art such as the famous Mystery Clocks. With an extensive variety of jewelry forms—ranging from traditional white diamond suites to the highly colored exotic creations of the 1920s and 1930s—Cartier made its mark with the ingenuity of its designs and its exquisite craftsmanship. The exhibition, now opened until May 9th, is exclusive to the Legion of Honor.

Marking Cartier’s 100 years in the United States, the exhibition concentrates on pieces owned by Americans, including a pair of rock crystal and diamond bracelets worn by Gloria Swanson in the movie Sunset Boulevard, Daisy Fellowes’s famous “Tutti Frutti” necklace, and the exotic flamingo brooch made for the Duchess of Windsor. Private lenders in the United States and France have contributed significant pieces to the exhibition. For the first time, an American museum will feature the personal jewelry of Princess Grace of Monaco from the time of her wedding to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, in 1956. These, generously lent by H.S.H. Prince Albert II, include her engagement ring—a 10.47-carat emerald-cut diamond set with two baguette diamonds mounted in platinum––a grand diamond necklace, and more informal gold brooches in the form of birds. The Lindemann Collection of Palm Beach is sharing some of its incomparable clocks, and the Hillwood Museum in Washington, D.C., is lending jewelry made for cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, a longtime Cartier patron. Post’s brooch, one of the most spectacular pieces of jewelry made in the 1920s, incorporates Indian carved emeralds, one of which dates from the Mughal era.

Cartier and America is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in partnership with Cartier.

TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION HERE

25 years of the British Fashion Council

2010-03-25T23:15:00.007-07:00

London based ad agency, Glue were thrilled to be part of London Fashion Week in February. A 3D holographic film their digital film unit Superglue produced for the British Fashion Council was streamed online and live at Somerset House during London Fashion Week as part of the first dedicated Digital Schedule, a new initiative which brought together live streamed fashion shows and a selection of digitally presented fashion films.

The film, which celebrates 25 years of the British Fashion Council, London Fashion Week and the British Fashion Awards by showcasing 25 key dresses from the last 25 years in fashion, was originally screened during the British Fashion Awards in December 2009 where it was projected onto a 10ft screen in which models appeared to float on the stage as larger than life 3D holograms.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO

Welcome to the ACI Blog!

2010-03-25T00:34:00.004-07:00

Welcome to the first post of the new ACI blog! Here we will be posting items of interest to ACI members and the public in general. Please add your email to the subscription box in the right column to be updated when new items are posted. And please feel free to add your comments! We hope this blog will be a forum for everyone to share and discuss all things having to do with fashion design and the history of fashion!