1919-1939 Fashioning the Modern Woman: The Art Of The Couturiere

marrimoda

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I just saw The Art of the Couturiere at the F.I.T. Museum.
Ahhhh ...the quality, the COLORS, the gorgeous fabrics.
Many many Vionnets, and Chanels, and one Dior.
Some from Madame Gres (Alix Barton)
Also Lanvin, Paquin (Ana de Pombo), Schiaparelli, Delaunay,Augustabernard, Jenny, Nina Ricci, Maggy Rouff...and many more.
There were also some wonderful fashion illustrations.
I just loved it, I plan to go again -- since admission is free!
I saw some of the most beautiful draped gowns and dresses ever, they were timeless.
Beautiful hand work, and amazing openwork.

So impressive that women were the leading force in this fashion revolution...Sad to say I was not consious of the fact that so many women designers were so boldly producing their art in the same period of time, to work in that time must have been so inspirational...I'd love to see women reassume this lead!

I dont know if the NYTimes has published anything on it, but I did find the article in another local paper...unlike the on-line version the actual newspaper piece has photos (same photos from the exhibition pamphet)

If you can -- go!

Designing women -- Chanel, Schiaparelli and their unsung sisters revolutionized fashion


Monday, February 23, 2004


BY JENIFER D. BRAUN
Star-Ledger Staff

The 1920s and'30s the years between the two world wars were a time of tremendous upheaval in the world of fashion.

What a woman looked like changed radically from a corseted, bustled shape swathed in fabric from bust to ankle to a slim, athletic figure in a loose-hanging dress that wouldn't look entirely out of place if we saw it on the street today.And although it's largely forgotten now, women designers were the ones who stitched and sewed that revolution in dress.

"Fashioning the Modern Woman: The Art of the Couturiere, 1919-1939," a new exhibit at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, seeks to highlight the work of these female designers.

The exhibition was inspired, in part, by a quote of fashion photographer Cecil Beaton's: "Sandwiched between two wars, between Poiret's harem and Dior's New Look, two women dominated the field of haute couture."

The exhibit opens with a display illustrating the quote: A Paul Poiret harem costume, an example of Christian Dior's wide-hipped, wasp-waisted New Look, and positioned between them one dress by Coco Chanel and one by Elsa Schiaparelli.

Chanel and Schiaparelli, legendary designers whose names are still well-known both inside the fashion industry and out, certainly are oversized figures in the history of fashion, says Valerie Steele, director of the museum and curator of this show, but "that's not the whole picture."

"There was a whole regiment of women working as couturiers at the time, some women like Madame Gres, whom some of us still remember, and others whose work has been totally forgotten," she says.

There were, at the time, more high-profile, profitable female designers working in Paris than there had been before, or would be after World War II, when male designers like Dior and Yves St. Laurent enjoyed the limelight.

Designers like Madeleine Vionnet, whose series of evening gowns in the exhibit is so modern they look as though they could have been plucked from the red carpet last month, used their own desires to guide their design. "I have never been able to tolerate corsets myself. Why should I have inflicted them on other women?" Vionnet said; the quote is part of the show.

Some women were fighting social expectations just to be in business. Maggy Rouff, whose draped gold lamé evening gown is one of the highlights of the exhibit, had a husband who was uncomfortable with her professional standing. "Her husband would say of her: 'She is an artist, she is not in a trade,'" says Steele.

Jeanne Lanvin, whose name lives on perfume bottles, was a milliner who started designing for her own fashionable young daughter, Marguerite. Louiseboulanger who professionally spelled her name all as one word, a tactic later copied by Mainboucher invented stylistic tricks like uneven hemlines that are still often found on runways today.

As much of these women's work is forgotten today, many of the dresses on display in the "Fashioning the Modern Woman" exhibit have never been shown before. Several were dug up out of private collections or museum storage spaces and had to undergo "extreme restoration," says Steele, before they could be shown.

"It's always a miracle that anything (from the period) survives at all," says Steele, "and with so many obscure designers in this show, we really had to hunt. We went through old copies of Vogue to find who was working then. And in some cases all we know about these designers are their names.

"But in many ways, this was the golden age of women in design. This was the time when the modern woman was emerging, and people seemed to think: Who better to dress her than another modern woman?"

After Dior, that viewpoint seemed to change, says Steele.

"Partly the change was economic. Opening a couture house became a big investment, and for many reasons, including sexism, men were more likely to get that kind of money. But there was also an attitude of: 'Fashion is an art, and men are the real artists,'" she says.

The male dominance of fashion continues to this day, Steele notes, saying she wanted to mount the exhibit in part to show that for women, "it hasn't at all been onward and upward since Chanel, but the opposite."

"Today, women are really conspicuous by their absence in the top ranks of fashion. I mean, no one is considering a woman for Tom Ford's job," she points out.

(Ford, the Texas-born designer who made the Italian firm Gucci the hottest label of the late '90s and early 21st century, has announced he is stepping down after his next show. Right now, speculation over his replacement is the dominant sport of fashion industry insiders.)

"There are many talented women working in the industry; by numbers, probably the majority of those working in the industry are women. But at the top level, it's indisputably male-dominated, and I don't really know why," says Steele.

"Fashioning the Modern Woman"

Where: The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, New York

When: Through April 10. Exhibition hours are noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday.

How much: Free
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thanks for sharing I plan on checking out before I heard off to Milan. I think the article makes some good points about female designers.

Off topic: I was recently in a heated debate with a friend about if a woman was openly gay and considered a "huge" designer how would she be treated. It was very heated and we are still debating :lol:
 
thanks so much for posting-marrimoda

I'm going this weekend...now I have something to look forward to.

I, too, loved reading about all the women in the industry. I've always hoped that the fashion industry would become a way for women to gain influence and power. Most of the editors at the magazines are women, but the owners of the magazines-the ones with the real power, are still men...we've got a long way to go...i hope the young talent coming up is ready for the challenge... :flower:
 
well guys-i went to the exhibit this weekend, and i was not disappointed-does anyone know coco's real name?...i didn't. how about madame gres? :innocent:

what an incredible collection of dresses and gowns...absolutely awe inspiring (i swear my body was tingling) and tragically sad, at the same time...while each piece was so immaculate, it could take your breath away, one couldn't help but think, how, instead of growing, this beautiful form of expression has been abandoned.

i spoke about this in the YSL on Tom Ford thread, so i won't go on, but if anyone is in NY i strongly recommend this exhibit at F.I.T. most of these clothes have never been on exhibit before...many came from private collections...hamish bowles (of vogue) lent a number of them from his private collection-that man must have a mini museum in his posession :ninja: -lanvin, lanvin, chanel, etc...unbelievable...everywhere you look! :heart:

faust-you must take your wife :flower:
chickonspeed-this is the real deal...not a hint of mediocrity :heart:

i wish i had photos i could share with you all :(
 
I've seen the exhibit.. since I go there... it was kind of a "class trip".

Right now I have a "Role of Fabrics in Fashion" class... and we were shown many of the Vionnets, Lanvins, and Paquins...

It's great to see the women designers. :heart: :flower: :heart:
 
I'd love to see this. I'm moved already by mere images of this stuff;if I were present one would have to throw water in my face :lol:

Softgrey*,I don't about you but I think the Belgians and certainly the likes of Yamamoto are certainly bringing that feeling back to fashion. They take my breath away for sure. That is ineed the way clothes should be designed. :flower:
 
Originally posted by Scott@Feb 29th, 2004 - 6:17 am
I'd love to see this. I'm moved already by mere images of this stuff;if I were present one would have to throw water in my face :lol:

Softgrey*,I don't about you but I think the Belgians and certainly the likes of Yamamoto are certainly bringing that feeling back to fashion. They take my breath away for sure. That is ineed the way clothes should be designed. :flower:
hey scott-i hear what you're saying, and there are some people doing beautiful work, but it's a completely different aesthetic...so it's a different feel that you get from the clothes...it's something more romantic and gentle and beautifully feminine without being too saccharine or gooey...light and airy is the feeling i got...i was walking around on my tiptoes... :blush: haha...i'm such a romantic/idealist... :P
 
Originally posted by softgrey@Feb 29th, 2004 - 2:04 am
well guys-i went to the exhibit this weekend, and i was not disappointed-does anyone know coco's real name?...i didn't. how about madame gres? :innocent:
"Coco"'s real name was Gabrielle Chanel. She apparently picked up the nickname while working as a cafe singer. Madama Gres was also known as Alix.
(From the essay Chanel in Context by Valerie Steell)
 
Originally posted by purplelucrezia+Feb 29th, 2004 - 12:07 pm--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(purplelucrezia @ Feb 29th, 2004 - 12:07 pm)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-softgrey@Feb 29th, 2004 - 2:04 am
well guys-i went to the exhibit this weekend, and i was not disappointed-does anyone know coco's real name?...i didn't.  how about madame gres?    :innocent:
"Coco"'s real name was Gabrielle Chanel. She apparently picked up the nickname while working as a cafe singer. Madama Gres was also known as Alix.
(From the essay Chanel in Context by Valerie Steell) [/b][/quote]
excellent-i'm impressed! :lol: someone's doing their homework... :flower:

i still can't believe i never knew that! :wacko:
 
This exhibit sounds incredible! :buzz: It even correlates with a project I am doing for one of my classes. I so wish I could see it... :cry:
 
Originally posted by softgrey+Feb 29th, 2004 - 10:43 am--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(softgrey @ Feb 29th, 2004 - 10:43 am)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-Scott@Feb 29th, 2004 - 6:17 am
I'd love to see this. I'm moved already by mere images of this stuff;if I were present one would have to throw water in my face :lol:

Softgrey*,I don't about you but I think the Belgians and certainly the likes of Yamamoto are certainly bringing that feeling back to fashion. They take my breath away for sure. That is ineed the way clothes should be designed. :flower:
hey scott-i hear what you're saying, and there are some people doing beautiful work, but it's a completely different aesthetic...so it's a different feel that you get from the clothes...it's something more romantic and gentle and beautifully feminine without being too saccharine or gooey...light and airy is the feeling i got...i was walking around on my tiptoes... :blush: haha...i'm such a romantic/idealist... :P [/b][/quote]
ME TOO! :P
 
Originally posted by softgrey+Feb 29th, 2004 - 11:43 am--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(softgrey @ Feb 29th, 2004 - 11:43 am)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Scott@Feb 29th, 2004 - 6:17 am
I'd love to see this. I'm moved already by mere images of this stuff;if I were present one would have to throw water in my face :lol:

Softgrey*,I don't about you but I think the Belgians and certainly the likes of Yamamoto are certainly bringing that feeling back to fashion. They take my breath away for sure. That is ineed the way clothes should be designed. :flower:
hey scott-i hear what you're saying, and there are some people doing beautiful work, but it's a completely different aesthetic...so it's a different feel that you get from the clothes...it's something more romantic and gentle and beautifully feminine without being too saccharine or gooey...light and airy is the feeling i got...i was walking around on my tiptoes... :blush: haha...i'm such a romantic/idealist... :P[/b][/quote]
I'll drink to that! :flower:

I'll ask my wife if she wants to go. I just bought a digi cam, and I'm very trigger happy - looks like a great place to take some photos.

Sugo - it'll be interesting to compare what we'll find worthy of photographing.
 
Faust,
I just got a new digi cam too :smile:
What did you get?
I'll have the pictures up on my website once I go and if they allow photography.
 
Originally posted by Sugo@Mar 1st, 2004 - 4:25 pm
Faust,
I just got a new digi cam too :smile:
What did you get?
I'll have the pictures up on my website once I go and if they allow photography.
I'll email you (don't want to take this thread off topic :flower: )
 
Originally posted by softgrey+Feb 29th, 2004 - 12:09 pm--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(softgrey @ Feb 29th, 2004 - 12:09 pm)</div><div class='quotemain'>
Originally posted by purplelucrezia@Feb 29th, 2004 - 12:07 pm
<!--QuoteBegin-softgrey
@Feb 29th, 2004 - 2:04 am
well guys-i went to the exhibit this weekend, and i was not disappointed-does anyone know coco's real name?...i didn't.  how about madame gres?    :innocent:

"Coco"'s real name was Gabrielle Chanel. She apparently picked up the nickname while working as a cafe singer. Madama Gres was also known as Alix.
(From the essay Chanel in Context by Valerie Steell)
excellent-i'm impressed! :lol: someone's doing their homework... :flower:

i still can't believe i never knew that! :wacko: [/b][/quote]
I'm actually putting together a project for one of my classes, and the names were mentioned in one of the books I'm reading. Sadly, I didn't just get it off the top of my head.... :blush:
 
By the way -- in case you have not found out yet -- they do not allow any photography at this exhibit.

I brought my camera too, half thinking they might not allow it...well when I got there I saw the warning sign...that, and I heard the guards yelling at a couple of different women who were trying to sneak off a shot. They also yell at you if you get too close to the garments.

The lighting is very low, in fact the lights are practically off, so it is hard to sketch, which they allow but only in pencil.

Despite the "challenges" I did love the exhibit, and have been there twice already.
 
Sorry purple
no photos :\
I've already gotten on the bad side of every security guard in NYC.
I shoot architecture as part of my job and tripods arent allowed in NYC public places without a permit...so I try to sneak around them...I always get caught in the end :blush:
 
wish i was in NY just to see this :cry:

thanks for the topic marrimoda :heart:
 

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