Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune of being in San Francisco and in between meetings, was able to visit the Legion of Honor Museum to see the Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy. I have seen many fashion exhibits in my life but this one truly tops them all. The visuals speak for themselves as you scroll down and enjoy these miraculous examples of artisanship in all its glory. The combination of technique and fantasy blew me away. I was awestruck from beginning to end and am almost tempted to fly back to San Francisco just to experience it again.

Perhaps most famous in the US for her incredible creation worn by Rhianna at the 2015 Met, Guo Pei electrified the red carpet, and send t the internet abuzz with the firm trimmed gown.

Although the Met gown undoubtably established Guo Pei as a fashion force, Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy does not include the gown. Instead the show is a retrospective of Guo Pei’s career both before and after 2015.

Gun was born in Beijing in 1967. She graduated in 1986 from Beijing Second Light Industry School with a degree in fashion. She worked for one of China’s first fashion houses, Tianma, until 1997 when she left to start her own label and atelier. The scope of her work for one so young astounds me.

Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy features over 80 looks from the designer’s archive, focusing on the handwork, beading and intricate embroidery she has become known for.

Interwoven with the gowns themselves are videos of interviews focusing on history, technique and inspiration of the atelier.

Speaking of the show, Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, he says “Our Costume program highlights extraordinary designers who have changed the course of fashion history, and Guo Pei is a perfect fit: Her career is emblematic of a shift in global fashion narratives and China’s rise as a fashion leader.”

I was absolutely in awe of the incredible detail of these pieces. The golden embroidery alone was enough to captivate me for hours. Throughout the there were endless moments to focus on the details alongside the dramatic voluminous forms.

Referencing countless cultural histories that in part make China so rich in imagery and craft, Guo Pei’s work transcends what it means to be a contemporary couture atelier.

Guo is the first born-and-raised Asian designer to be invited to become a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.

Beyond the gold and gild, I was especially drawn to the quieter and more updated detailing ever-present in these creations.

I cannot overstate how stunning this show is. If you find yourself in the San Francisco area now until November 27, when the show closes, you absolutely must go. You will not regret it!

via Vogue

Addendum

Recently, I went to 80 Miles North flower farm. It was a magical day that I will cherish for a long time. For more on this farm, and project, check out the link here!

In America: A Lexicon of Fashion at The Met

The Met Costume Institute is back with the first part of their two part show, entitled In America. I was lucky enough to be able to see the show in person - there is nothing as delightful as a Friday night at the Met!

Exploring the breadth of American fashion, art, craft and design through nontraditional lenses of themes rather than function, the first part of this show is aptly named, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.

The show is inspired by, and structured around, a signature quilt from the Met’s American Wing collection that was begun in 1956 by Adeline Harris Sears. Looking at the United States through the context of a mix-up and combination of different cultural and design identities, the quilt serves as a guide through the rest of the show.

Organized into twelve sections of ‘Nostalgia,’ ‘Belonging,’ ‘Delight,’ ‘Joy,’ ‘Wonder,’ ‘Affinity,’ ‘Confidence,’ ‘Strength,’ ‘Desire,’ ‘Assurance,’ ‘Comfort,’ and ‘Consciousness.’ While I absolutely loved the entire thing, there were a few standout pieces, for me.

Prabal Guruing from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

Prabal Guruing is an American fashion designer, born in Singapore to Nepali parents and raised in Kathmandu.

In 1999 he moved from New Delhi, where he was studying fashion and had opened his own small studio, to New York City where he attended Parsons School of Design.

He has since made a name for himself with his bright colors, mix of patterns and feminine silhouettes.

Christopher John Rogers from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

Christopher John Rogers is a Brooklyn-based fashion designer originally from Baton Rouge Louisiana. His gown - which measures nine feet in diameter - is unquestionably a statement making piece.

An emerging American designer, Christopher John Rogers graduated from the fashion program at Savannah College of Art and Design, and a design of his was recently selected by Kamala Harris to be worn on Inauguration Day.

Claude Kameni from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

Claude Kameni’s dramatic mermaid dress represents the word ‘Vitality.’ Originally from Cameroon, Claude Kameni debuted at last years virtual NYFW.

Named one of the most influential Black designers by WWD, Kameni’s work is debuted at the Met here.

Eckhaus Latta from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

Eckhaus Latta designer this wonderfully textured and dimensional garment. Founded by Zoe Latta and Mike Eckhaus in 2011, Eckhaus Latta aims to walk the line between art and fashion.

Showing their work equally to the high fashion world, and in shows at the Hammer Museum in LA and MoMA PS1 in Queens, they work sculpture, fashion and video.

Virgil Abloh from In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

And in closing, an unexpected yet enchanting gown from Virgil Abloh. A designer, entrepreneur and DJ, Abloh has been the artistic direction of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection since 2018. He is also the chief executive officer of the Milan-based label, Off White, whose work is in the show.

Originally from Illinois and born to Ghanaian parents, Abloh met Kayne West in 2009 while interning at Fendi in Rome. After working as Kanye West’s creative director for DONDA, Abloh started his own collection, Off White as high-end streetwear, which has found widespread mainstream success.

From In America: A Lexicon of Fashion

As a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Met Costume Institute, the show will be up for the entire year, with pieces periodically being moved and swapped out. The next installment, In America: An Anthology of Fashion will open on May 5th 2022.

Addendum

Thank you to dear Lisa Staprans for this beautiful book!

Central Park

“The Park [Central Park, New York City] throughout is a single work of art, and as such subject to the primary law of every work of art. Namely, that it shall be framed upon a single, noble motive to which the design of all its parts, in some more or less subtle way, shall be confluent and helpful.”

- Fredrick Law Olmsted

Central Park has always been an oasis for me; my respite away from the concrete and chaos of my - dear - New York City home.

For my birthday almost every year, two of my friends independently have gifted me with walking tours of special parts of the park. One of my friends - Will - is a birder. It took a while but he taught me to spot birds through binoculars and it is incredible during migration seasons how many birds come through our park.

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The birds alone are enough to inspire multiple collection ideas! My other friend - David - is a docent in the park, his in depth knowledge of the history amazes me. It was so many of these tours that inspired and informed our newest collection aptly titled Central Park.

Like many people, the early months of 2020 brought unprecedented changes to the way we work - and design - in our studio. Where before we could gather as a team in our ‘White Box Sanctuary’ in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan - this time, we were working independently across the city.

I found solace and energy from being outdoors in a way I have not experienced pre-pandemic. I took long bike rides, went on walks and hikes that I had never experienced before in this city that I have lived in for most of my life.

A major landmark - so to speak - of inspiration for us was Bethesda Fountain. Bethesda Fountain is one of the most iconic fountains in the world - it has been highlighted across movies, paintings, and tv; including, of course, the opening sequence from Angels in America.

Overlooking the southern shore of The Lake, the Bethesda Terrace - and Fountain - are the only original “formal” elements included in the blueprint for the park. As the park was meant to celebrate un-manicured nature, the terrace was a nod to the more stylized parks that were in fashion at the time. Today the terrace, fountain - and especially the two stories of steps - are often locations for filming in NYC.

The angel on top of the fountain was the only piece of sculpture commissioned for the park as an original work. Entitled Angel of the Waters, she stands above four cherubs meant to represent health, purity, temperance and peace. Designed by Emma Stebbins in 1868, the angel is the first major public art commissioned by a woman in New York City.

“All had expected something great, something of angelic power and beauty,” The New York Times wrote of the unveiling of the Bethesda fountain statue on June 1, 1873, “and when a feebly-pretty idealess thing of bronze was revealed the revulsion of feeling was painful.”

When the sculpture was first unveiled in the park, it was widely unpopular. Stebbins’ brother had a heavy hand in granting her the commission - as he was the head of the park’s Committee on Statuary, Fountains and Architectural Structure. The public was also likely inclined the be particularly critical of the design due to the familiar connections, and the general feeling - at the time - that women were not considered “real” sculptors.

Of course we all consider the angel to be a cherished landmark now, and Stebbins has been granted long overdue appreciation for her contribution to the park.

As the first landscaped public park in the country, the park’s landscape architect, Fredrick Law Olmsted, believed in the power and importance of public space, where “the beauty of the fields, the meadow, the prairie, of the green pastures, and the still waters” contrasted with the dark and cramped conditions of Manhattan at the time of the park’s creation.

To this day, Central Park is considered an unusual landscape for its seemingly natural design within an artificial constructed landscape. Olmsted and the park’s architects believed deeply in the importance of the natural environment, creating only one straight geometric path in the entire 843 acres.

The job of preserving the park for current - and future - visitors now falls to the Central Park Conservancy. The Conservancy oversees all of the park’s maintenance - from horticulture upkeep to architectural restoration, allowing the park to be a sustainable tourist attraction for the 40 million - or so - annual visitors, while also allowing NYC’s Department of Parks and Recreation to focus their time - and budget - on the countless other, less visited parks within the city.

To learn more about the Central Park Conservancy - or to donate - check out their website here!

Addendum

We are really proud of the Central Park collection, and now that life is getting back closer to “normal,” I continue to cherish the park; the bit of wilderness in the middle of our urban landscape. One of Olmsted’s goals for Central Park was for an outdoor space to “replenish and reinvigorate,” after over 150 years, Central Park continues to be an unchanged sanctuary in its own right, even as the world continues to evolve outside of those wooded city blocks

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