I told you to watch this space for more give-aways! Today’s contest is to win a copy of Balenciaga and Spain by Hamish Bowles. This is an exhibition catalog from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s exhibition last year. Worn Through writer, Lauren Michel reviewed the show back in May 2011 and included a number of wonderful photographs, plus an interview with Hamish Bowles.
To enter to win a copy of the lavishly illustrated book, I want to know which of his many inspirations speaks to you most. In the comments section below, tell me which Balenciaga design you love – and what inspired it (and be sure to include links to photos!)
Yesterday, the Smithsonian Magazine’s blog, Past Imperfect posted a rather long article on Rudolph Valentino and his impact on sex and seduction in the early silent film era – and of course there is a brief mention of Natacha Rambova (the main subject of my own research). The article spends much of its time focused on the very public battle over the speculation of his sexuality, and his impact on masculinity in film. However, the article fails to discuss the role that Rambova played in the creation of his on-screen persona – especially in the role that many suggest established him as an entirely masculine star, The Son of The Sheik.
Although Rambova and Valentino had already separated by this point, their time together had inevitable effect on the development of his on-screen personas. This, coupled with the fact that Rambova’s costumes from Hooded Falcon were used for The Son of The Sheik, suggests that she had a significant (perhaps unintentional) hand in his career trajectory.
“A stunning Moorish costume adorned the stalwart form of our hero, including a pair of cerise satin Zouave trousers plentifully braided and embroidered in gold. These had been secured in Algiers originally for ‘The Hooded Falcon,’ which Rudy never made and which was the high spot in the Valentino contention with the Ritz-Carlton Company, which sent him into the United Artists fold. Natacha Rambova was the one who designed the costumes, to the tune of $100,000. They now lie on the wardrobe shelves. This is the first use that has been made of any of them.”[1]
Regardless of whether this bit of publicity is true (often the film studios publicity machine’s put out information that was in fact dead-wrong) – many actors regularly explain that putting on their costumes has helped them to ‘realize’ or ‘achieve’ the personality of an on-screen character (see the work of Dr. Deborah Nadoolman Landis). This is no less true in the early days of film. Rambova’s impact on Valentino is regularly discussed – often with negative connotations: she was too avant-garde for some, and European tastes often read as ‘effeminate’ to middle America. It’s unfortunate that this positive association is overlooked.
Despite this foible – I think the article is a good introduction to those unfamiliar with the scandals and speculations associated with Rudolph Valentino and his now infamous cult of celebrity.
[1]Chicago Tribune, April 11, 1926. William McGuire Papers, Library of Congress, Box 83, Folder 1.
The Associated Press Stylebook has added a fashion focused chapter, compiled by Samantha Critchell, AP fashion writer for the last 12 years.. The AP Stylebook Online has also recently added a new Fashion Guidelines section, including 185 terms and names. These include:
June 1959, Original caption:This is the official poster that will announce to the Russians that the Dior fashion collection will be shown in Moscow from June 12 to June 16. Dior star model Ghislaine Arsac is featured on the poster surrounded by a tricolor band.
On the occasion of the Dance/USA Conference held this year in San Francisco, Museum of Performance and Design will display, for one day only, a selection of unique documents and costumes from the dance archives. The Museum will also give a tour of the regional hub of Dance Heritage Coalition’s Secure Media Network, which is hosted locally at MPD. The Secure Media Network is an online searchable database of streaming archival-quality dance footage.
We had another good set of entries for this contest to win the Cult of Beauty exhibition Catalog, with some good photo entries. I’m planning on doing more of these in the coming months – so keep your eyes open for more opportunities. The Winner is….
“What cannot be pushed past the censors with words is often tried with costume. Marilyn Monroe was an expert at this—often to the despair of designers. Miss Monroe refused to wear underclothes. She felt they inhibited the rotary motion of her hips, dulled the color of her skin and, in general, reduced her sex appeal. Even in a high-necked gown with long sleeves she managed to be so revealing that on one occasion beads had to be added as a sop to the censors.
“Miss Monroe’s favorite comment about the concern of censors with her cleavage was: ‘The trouble with censors is that they worry whether a girl has cleavage. They ought to worry if she hasn’t any.’ To make sure her cleavage was shown to best advantage, she would slyly pull down the décolletage before camera time. This infuriated some of her designers.”
The catalog describes the styles utilized by the Aesthetic Movement (Japonism, Neo-Classisism, and Pre-Raphaelite), and provides insights on the artists, designers, makers and writers of the era – from William Morris to Liberty & Co, to Oscar Wilde, Whistler, Gowin and Beardsley.
To enter: In the comments section below, tell me who your favorite designer (fashion or decorative) from this period is, and more importantly, WHY? Include links to a particular design from this period if you can.
I am so happy that so many of you entered (10!) in the contest to win a copy ofSchiaparelli & Prada! Below are some of the images that people submitted (in case you missed it). I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of you went to major museums to pull images for the contest (Costume Institute, Philadelphia Museum, FIDM Museum and Chicago History Museum were all included!) I’m also a little surprised that only one of you submitted a Prada image (tells me a good deal about the readers of this blog). In anycase, I guess I’d better tell you who won the book, no?
Poppies, 1976 56" x 42" From the E. Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen Adams Trust
Melissa Leventon, former curator of Costume & Textiles at the De Young Museum of San Francisco, as well as a past president of the Costume Society of America, Western Region will be part of a Tapestry symposium on artist Mark Adams being held on Sunday, June 24, from 1-4:30pm. Hope to see you there!
In conjunction with the Mark Adams exhibition, a symposium, Mark Adams: His Tapestry and Collaborators brings together some of Adams’ key collaborators in the tapestry process, contemporary tapestry artists, as well as the leading essayist from the soon to be published catalogue raisonné on his work, Mark Adams.
The symposium will delve into Mark Adams’ deep connection with the tapestry medium and give unique insight into his design process and extensive body of work, directly from the people who knew and collaborated with him.
Presenters include:
Melissa Leventon – former curator of Costume & Textiles at the De Young Museum of San Francisco, Principal of Curatrix, (a museum consulting firm), and essayist for the Mark Adams catalog.
Haena Point (Hawaiian Sunset No. 1), 1979 63" x 67" From the Collection of the Stanford Library of Art and Architecture
Jean Pierre Larochette – tapestry weaver, instructor, director and co-founder of the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop
Phoebe McAfee – co-founder of the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop and principal weaver of Mark Adams tapestries.
Rudi Richardson – principal weaver of Mark Adams tapestries and currently a primary weaver for the tapestry project creating a new set of “The Hunt of the Unicorn” tapestries (seen at the Cloisters, MET, NYC) at Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland.
Constance Hunt – artist weaver, who studied at the SFTW, and will speak about her close mentor relationship with Mark Adams.
