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If it is one of those days when you think you have nothing to wear
Go see the First U.S. Balenciaga Exhibition in Two Decades
Edited by Madelyn Miller, the Travellady.com
The first U.S. exhibition in more than 20 years of the
pioneering fashion designs of Balenciaga will be presented at the Meadows Museum
Feb. 4 through May 27. "Balenciaga and His Legacy: Haute Couture from the Texas
Fashion Collection" will showcase 70 of the Spanish-born designer's works
spanning his most creative period from 1949 to 1968. The Meadows is the only
venue for the show.
The exhibition will explore Balenciaga's legacy from the
perspective of the women he dressed, the buyers and fashion editors who helped
him build an international brand and other important designers he influenced.
Stage designer Winn Morton has recreated an opulent setting
for the exhibition, including a monumental backdrop evoking the Hall of Mirrors
in the Palace of Versailles, flanked by architectural elements that recall the
original House of Balenciaga. The setting reflects the refinement and luxury of
haute couture and pays homage to the materials, craftsmanship and details which
are intrinsic elements of Balenciaga's designs. Here museum visitors will
discover a collection of rarely seen Balenciaga gowns, hats and other ensembles.
The exhibition and study have been organized by the Meadows Museum at SMU, in
collaboration with the Texas Fashion Collection, School of Visual Arts at the
University of North Texas, Denton.
Outside of Spain, the Meadows; part of SMU ; has one of the
finest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art in the world. Five
years ago its curators toured the Texas Fashion Collection. After seeing so many
Balenciaga gowns, they inquired about a show at the Meadows.
Balenciaga was born in Guetaria, Spain, and many of his
couture designs were inspired by a distinctly Spanish style, from his
bullfighter "bolero" jackets to his use of madroños, an ornamental trim of
tassels, to his Goyaesque shapes and colors.
"Balenciaga is arguably the most innovative, influential,
admired and recognized Spanish haute couture designer of the 20th century," said
Dr. Mark A. Rogl, director of the Meadows Museum, "and his work was and still is
highly praised by his peers, including Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Oscar de la
Renta. The public is in for a dazzling exhibition that will further the
appreciation and understanding of fashion and design. We are excited to partner
with UNT, and to assist the Texas Fashion Collection in furthering its goal of
building a museum to showcase this unique collection."
There have been only two solo exhibitions of Balenciaga's
work in the U.S. The first was the groundbreaking "World of Balenciaga" at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1973, which was curated by former
Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. The second, titled simply "Balenciaga," was at the
Fashion Institute of Technology in New York in 1986. The Meadows exhibition
follows on the heels of a yearlong retrospective, "Balenciaga Paris," at the
Muse de la Mode et du Textile in Paris.
This new exhibition relies on the stories of Balenciaga's
most devoted Texas clients to examine his lasting influence, which is still seen
today on runways. Claudia Heard de Osborne, a Texas oil heiress and
international socialite, had a close friendship with him. From her student days
at the University of Texas at Austin, de Osborne maintained a long friendship
with Edward Marcus, a member of the Neiman Marcus retail family. Because of him,
she donated her Balenciaga gowns to the Texas Fashion Collection before her
death in 1988. The other woman whose gowns will be on display is Neiman Marcus
fashion buyer Bert de Winter. Her prophetic sense of style in the 1950s helped
shape Dallas as a fashion mecca.
Balenciaga's cult of perfection influenced a generation of
designers. Designs by Hubert de Givenchy and Oscar de la Renta donated to the
Texas Fashion Collection from philanthropist and fashion icon Mercedes T. Bass
also will be in the exhibition. In addition, there will be a dress by Oscar de
la Renta on loan from Mrs. Laura Bush, which she wore to the January 2005
Presidential inauguration, and an elegant black Givenchy suit worn by Audrey
Hepburn in the film Charade.
"This will be an intimate look at a very private man," said
Myra Walker, the guest curator of the show and director of the Texas Fashion
Collection. "We have focused on the relationship between couturier and client,
and by extension the fashion industry mid-20th century, which is considered the
Golden Age of haute couture. Balenciaga lived through a period of fashion
history rich in creativity and invention."
On Saturday, Feb. 10, the Meadows Museum will host a
symposium about Balenciaga's legacy, with guest lecturers Harold Koda, from the
Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Pamela Golbin, curator from
the Muse de la Mode et du Textile at the Louvre in Paris; Jean Druesedow, Kent
State University in Ohio; and Maggie Eckardt, a former Balenciaga model from
1961 to 1965.
The Texas Fashion Collection is housed in a
4,000-square-foot climate-controlled space on the UNT campus. To honor their
aunt, Carrie Marcus Neiman, Stanley and Edward Marcus founded the collection in
1938 and it eventually merged with the Dallas Museum of Fashion to create the
extensive Texas Fashion Collection. The collection was donated to UNT in 1972
and grew from 3,000 items to more than 15,000 today. To learn more about the
Texas Fashion Collection, go to
www.tfc.unt.edu.
The Meadows Museum, a division of SMU's Meadows School of
the Arts, contains works from the 10th to the 21st century, including Spanish
masterpieces by El Greco, Velzquez, Ribera, Murillo, Goya, Miro and Picasso. To
learn more about the museum, go to
www.meadowsmuseumdallas.org.
The Meadows Foundation provided major funding for the
exhibition and for an accompanying catalog, Balenciaga and His Legacy, written
by Walker and published by Yale University Press, UK. Additional sponsors
include Modern Luxury magazine, NBC-5 and WRR 101.1 FM.
Admission to the Meadows Museum is $8 per visitor and free
to museum members, children under 12, and SMU students, staff and faculty.
Museum hours are Tues.- Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thurs. until 8 p.m.; and Sun. 12
to 5 p.m. Free parking is available for museum visitors in the garage under the
building.
Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who has never
worn a Balenciaga gown. She has, however, discovered many terrific travel items.
Here are a few of her favorites.
Best Travel Purse
Vera Bradley
I love the quilted backpack purse.
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/September05/1336TravelCompanion.htm
www.verabradley.com
Best Travel shoes
Land’s End
www.landsend.com
Most versatile skirt
Maccabi
When adventure travel calls for light luggage and versatile, culturally
appropriate attire, The Macabi Original Adventure Travel Skirt answers. It’s
designed to fit most travel apparel needs. Within seconds, the Macabi skirt
converts into several different forms—from a long skirt to pants or shorts.
www.macabiakir.com
Most energy efficient vest
Scot E. Vest
They also offer technology enabled clothing--TEC
http://www.SCOTTeVEST.com
Best noise and eyeshade blocker
Dream Helmet
www.dreamhelmet.com
Best coordinated wardrobe
One bag wardrobe
www.onebag.com
Keep your Valuables around your Neck
Two styles of XUBÁZ Functional Neckwear help you look good while you take good
care of your valuables.
The Mongolfičre made of micro-fiber fleece on one side, and of a tech fabric
(three colors) on the other side;
The Cargo, made of the same light-weight tech fabric on both sides with
cargo-style pockets and a center seam
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