Elsa Schiaparelli, Jacques Doucet and Charles James are names relatively unknown to today’s post-baby boomer generation of fashion consumers and enthusiasts. However, these pioneers of elegance continue to enchant and educate us still, even if mostly from the insides of museum cases. The Brooklyn Museum is bringing its exhibit “High Style: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection” to San Francisco’s deYoung Museum from March 14 to July 19th.
The exhibit features a collection of more than sixty pieces and thirty accessories as well as an array of fashion sketches. Spanning seven decades, the collection is a visual timeline of fashion evolution and an ode to the opulence of the well heeled American woman and the designers who dressed them. Highlights include: Schiaperelli’s iconic 1938 brightly colored tin necklace, six exquisite Charles James ball gowns and Gilbert Adrian’s 1949 black, beige, and orange silk taffeta chiné and gold lamé “The Tigress” dress. Other designer works include looks from: Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Jeanne Lanvin and Hubert de Givenchy.
Students who can provide a current ID pay $18 Tuesday through Friday and $19 Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Tickets are $22 for adults Tuesday through Friday and $23 for adults Saturday, Sunday and holidays. To purchase tickets or for more information about the exhibit, click here: https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/highstyle
By: Malcolm Thomas
