Every year I look forward to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual fashion exhibit presented by the Costume Institute. For the past few years, Andrew Bolton, Curator in Chief, has arranged exhibitions that are both fantastic and historical, taking extreme care to preserve the art of fashion. Several months ago, it was announced that this year's exhibit would be titled Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology. I'd read that the show would explore the difference between the hand (manus) and the machine (machina), but more about the union of both. Being a lover of couture, I was excited about the possibilities of the topic and to view the pieces that would be included. On a rainy Monday in May, I could barely contain myself as I walked into the Robert Lehman Wing.
Read moreDior and I
Yesterday I was so excited to attend an afternoon screening of the highly anticipated documentary DIOR AND I downtown at the Film Forum. It is the latest offering from director/writer/producer Frédéric Tcheng who is known from his work on other great fashion based films. The movie covers an integral time of the famous French fashion house Christian Dior as they announced the appointment of their new Creative Director, RafSimons. The timing of Simons' appointment meant that he would have only 8 weeks to put together an entire haute couture collection, an undertaking that normally takes 4 to 6 months. Haute couture is a very serious thing, not to be taken lightly. The documentary provides an in depth behind the scenes look at the Belgian designer's artistic process, the business, and supplies plenty of humorous commentary from the dressmakers. I have been waiting impatiently for this film to debut for some time and thankfully, I was not disappointed.
Read moreFrom the Fashion Library - Rose Bertin, The Creator of Fashion at the Court of Marie-Antoinette
After reading Caroline Weber's QUEEN OF FASHION as research for my upcoming book, I was eager to learn more about 18th century french fashion and the origins of haute couture. After searching Amazon, I came across ROSE BERTIN THE CREATOR OF FASHION AT THE COURT OF MARIE-ANTOINETTE, a detailed account of the queen's favorite dressmaker. Originally published in 1913 in french by Émile Langlade, the text has been translated and reprinted. We already know the importance that Marie Antoinette's wardrobe played during her reign, so it makes sense that the only thing more important than the dresses themselves was the woman who made them.
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