ILLUMINATING FASHION: Rich Historical Imagery (c) by Polly Guerin

“Illuminating Fashion,” the fascinating history of fashion and its ties to politics, social upheaval and cultural influence during the Middle Ages is a rich study in which clothing styles provide clues to how the royals and gentry expressed their fashion preferences and reacted to the vicissitudes of the world around them. The nearly 200 years covered by the show provides the viewer seeking fashion accuracy a rare opportunity to see a rich era for fashion, a period in which clothing styles changed rapidly, often from one decade to the next. The exhibition at the Morgan Museum and Library, “Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands,” explores the evolution of courtly clothing from the “Fashion revolution” around 1330 to the flowering of the Renaissance in France following the accession of King Francois I in 1515 in shaping fashion.
ILLUMINATING FASHION Because few actual garments from the Middle Ages survive, the Morgan focuses on the art in the illuminated manuscripts and early printed books to reveal how historical dress in Northern Europe provides clues to the wearer’s identity and character. The exhibition connects through a historical timeline the potential impact of political unrest and social upheaval on the history of fashion during one of the world’s more calamitous eras: The Hundred year’s War, the occupation of Paris by the English, and the arrival of the Italian Renaissance in northern Europe. The exhibit also demonstrates the richness of symbolism in medieval art and how artists used clothing and costume as a code to help viewers interpret an image. In these works of art, what people wear is a clue to their identities and moral characters.
FASHION OPULENCE Viewers seeking fashion accuracy need only examine the magnificent illuminated books to see the colorful, gold leaf illuminated fashions which provide a rare glimpse into the era of fashion opulence. I might suggest that you bring along a magnifying glass to look closely at the amazing detail and preserved colors in some of the tiny books. Replicas of some of the fashionable images from the manuscripts have been reproduced in colorful large-scale portraits on the walls which form an impressive panorama above the glass cases where the timeline connects historical facts. HISTORICAL REPRODUCTIONS To enhance appreciation for the fashions of the era, on display four full-scale reproductions of late medieval ensembles depict actual garments in the illuminated manuscripts. Using period hand-sewing techniques and authentic materials including silk, velvet, gold brocade, linen, straw and ermine the recreations include the Catherine of Cleves, Duchess of Guelders richly attired, her voluminous ermine-lined Houpeland, with cascading bombard sleeves, her hair is enmeshed in reticulated cone-shaped headgear.
When I mentioned that I would have expected to see such an impressive historical fashion interpretation at a fashion museum, Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, Roger S. Wieck replied, “Yes, but we have the manuscripts,” and that is what this exhibit is all about “Illuminating Fashion” that touches on the potential impact of political unrest and social upheaval on the history of fashion during one of the world’s more calamitous eras. At The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave., New York, through September 4, 2011. www.themorgan.org.

JEWELS FOR A PRINCESS, The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels (c) By Polly Guerin

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but then there are rubies, emeralds and sapphires to color one’s life with vibrant fine jewelry designs that any princess in a romantic novel would cherish. Van Cleef & Arpels the legendary French jewelry brings to the fashion stage a world of beauty, fashion, mystery, storytelling and magic! The luxury jeweler has revisited its iconic surrealist Zip necklace and the gem-setting procedure known as the Mystery Setting at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York in the exhibit “Set in Style,” which showcases several themes: Innovation, Transformations, Nature as Inspiration, Exoticism and Fashion on display with all its historical dazzle until June 5, 2011. Even if you cannot afford this luxury---it is well worth admiring the detail of these exquisite works of art, the Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, for themselves.

SET IN STYLE

On view are over 350 jewels, timepieces fashion accessories and objets d’art, many of which were created for the American market. Since its boutique opened in 1906 in Paris Van Cleef & Arpels has played a leading role in style and design innovation in the world of the fashion cognoscenti. Its timeless pieces have been worn by royalty as well as heroines of the silver screen, queens, princesses and famous women including style icons the Duchess of Windsor, H.S.H. Princess Grace of Monaco and Dame Elizabeth Taylor to name a few. By far one of the most unique design is the Zip necklace that the jeweler recently introduced in Paris with four new spectacular versions at their Place Vendome boutique.

THE ZIP NECKLACE

Van Cleef & Arpels is renowned for transforming objects from one form into another, hence the theme Transformations and the Zip necklace has a zipper that really works. What you’ll see on display, is the iconic surrealist Zip design, which was originally commissioned by the Duchess of Windsor in 1938, but only got as far as the sketch stage, being too difficult to engineer in platinum and diamonds as she had requested. However, the first yellow-gold version was produced in 1951. The highly technical piece the Zip necklace can be worn as a necklace or zipped up to form a bracelet, giving the piece great flexibility. It was the ultimate design solution by the firm’s head designer Rene-Sims Lacaze, and artistic designer Renee Puissant, daughter of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels. Their liaison begins in 1926 and the next two decades are a highly creative period for luxury jeweler.

INNOVATION and THE MYSTERY SETTING

Truly remarkable is the Mystery Setting an innovation in which matched gemstones are grooved and set in channels so that the setting is invisible. The Mystery-Set Ribbon bracelet, circa 1943, for example, emeralds are softer than sapphires and rubies, making exact cutting difficult; they are also harder to match for color, so Mystery-Set emeralds are particularly rare. Van Cleef & Arpels is also the originator of the Minaudiere patented in 1934, a vanity case the size of a small clutch that is popular with fashionistas worldwide.

FASHION and PERSONALITIES

When Van Cleef & Aprels opened its doors it was an era of high collars and frilly lace, but the luxury jeweler has kept pace with the times of changing tastes and fashion. Whatever the period, VC&A has understood the line between fashion and jewelry as a powerful emotional sensibility that greatly influences contemporary design. The celebrated women and their choices of adornment are also a significant part of jewelry-design history. Among the great ladies legendary opera singer Maria Callas showed off her jewelry onstage and off including her flower brooch fashioned with rubies, diamonds and platinum, and always a favorite the adorable poodle brooch of the model owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in gold diamonds, rubies.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The history of Van Cleef & Arpels is a saga of the merging two families that formed legendary alliance as purveyors of fine jewelry, luxury jewelry. Both families had long been in the diamond and colored-stone markets in the Netherlands and Belgium. The daughter of Salomon Arpels, a dealer in precious stones, married Alfred Van Cleef, whose family were sheet merchants living in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. That same year, Alfred Van Cleef and Salomon Arpels established a jewelry business and in 1906, they registered the “Van Cleef & Arpels” trademark and opened a boutique in the tony haute couture enclave at 22 Place Vendome. Progressively, the second generation joined the business and in 1942 the Arpels family immigrated to America and opened their first boutique in New York, on 5th Avenue. Venturing further the firm later became the first French jeweler to open boutiques in Japan and China.

Visit Van Cleef & Arpels at www.vancleef-arpels.com.

The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is located at 2 East 91st Street. www.cooperhewitt.org.

Biography: Polly Guerin, a former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and is currently working on a book entitled the Cooper-Hewitt’s of Old New York in which the founders of the Cooper-Hewitt museum, Eleanor Gurnee and Sarah Cooper Hewitt, granddaughters of Peter Cooper, are featured in the chapter, “A Tale of Two Sisters.”

WEDDING FORMALITIES (c) By Polly Guerin

What could be more binding, more permanent a document than the legendary “Ketubbah” a marriage contract? The ancient Ketubbah was not merely a legal document it became a splendid work of art, but it did not begin that way. It originated as a contract protecting the interests of a woman and her children. From the first simply decorated examples of these magnificent treasures, frequently embellished with decorative borders and fine calligraphy evolved with increasingly elaborate ornamentation with texts and decoration providing rich sources of information on the artistic creativity, cultural interactions, and social history of the communities in which they were created from Iraq and Iran to Italy and the Netherlands, and finally to the United States. Recently there has been a renewed interest in the formalities of the Ketubbah and celebrations that follow the traditional Berberisca ceremony.
THE ART OF THE KETUBBAH
Similar to modern marriage contracts of intent, the Ketubbah not only outlined the rules of engagement and the sacredness of marriage it was a symbol of pride and displayed in the homes of Jews, be they wealthy or poor, scholar or layman, living in the West under Christian governance or in the East under Muslim rule. The largest number of Ketubbot in ‘The Library of Jew Theological Seminary’ are from Italy, where the art of the decorated Ketubbah found its most beautiful expression during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries under the influence of Renaissance and Baroque art. Thirty magnificent examples of marriage contracts from the Library from Egypt, Persia, Afghanistan and India are on view in the exhibit, “The Art of Matrimony” at The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, Manhattan. http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/.
BEFORE THE WEDDING
Before a wedding, the families of Jewish brides and grooms traditionally negotiated a marriage contract, a legal document that sets forth the husband’s obligations to his wife and specifies the monies due her in the event of a divorce or his death. By the seventeenth century they were richly decorated with figurative, floral, architectural, and geometric designs. Regional stylistic traditions developed, emanating from the two major centers of Ketubbah ornamentation, Italy and the Middle East. The Marriage Contract, 1816, pictured above reflects the custom of Jewish couples in Italy and Amsterdam of creating a secular legal document to confirm their financial obligations. Watercolor and gold paint on parchment. The decorative border of flowers and birds was characteristic of Ketubbot from Ancora, Italy beginning in the early eighteenth century.
NOCHE de BERBERISCA
The ‘Noche de Berberisca’ ceremony, which takes place during the week before a Moroccan Jewish wedding, is an intimate gathering of families and friends that precedes the wedding. It is enhanced with Sephardic songs, or Judeo-Arabic music, fashion, delicious dishes and pastries made with almonds and honey. The richest and picturesque Noche de Berberisca or Soiree de Henne means that the bride’s hands and feet are decorated in elaborate designs with henna (Henna is a red dye from crushed henna) to prepare the bride for leaving her family. In the Marriage Contract from Meknes, Morocco, 1896, two blessing hands are inscribed with Priestly symbolism, and also amuletic and protective connotations, especially popular in Morocco.
ENTRANCE OF THE BRIDE-TO-BE
The evening reaches its climax when the bride makes her entrance magnificently dressed in the Berberisca Traje de Panos, or Vestido de Berberisca (Spanish), or Keswa Elkibra (Great Dress in Arabic). *Note picture above. She also wears a gorgeous crown embellished with imitation or real gems. In this elaborate attire the bride-to- be is announced into the reception room and greeted by waiting family and friends. The event is enhanced with songs or singing and adulations (wailing noises) to show their happiness about the couple’s upcoming marriage. At this time the bridal presents may be displayed and tokens of adornment from bride and groom presented. The celebration is followed by a Moroccan tea and pastry reception. The traditional Moroccan Jewish Bridal celebration was part of The American Sephardi Federation’s exhibit “2,000 year of Jewish Life in Morocco: An Epic Journey.” http://www.americansephardifederation.org/.
SUMPTUOUSLY DECORATED MARRIAGE CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN INTEGRAL TO JEWISH WEDDINGS FOR CENTURIES AND REPRESENT A MAGNIFICENT EXPRESSION OF TRADITION IN JEWISH ART.

Millinery: CUNNING COCKTAIL CONCOCTIONS (c) By Polly Guerin

Ellen Christine Couture Millinery

“Glamour” with a capital “G” and polished, lady-like looks are predicted by Fashion 2011 and along comes the revival of the Cocktail Hat. This sophisticated little frippery is making a strong comeback to complement the glamorous, chic new look. There are now many talented craftspeople and millinery designers creating their version of these tempting hats and one of the rising stars is designer Ellen Christine Colon Lugo, Ellen Christine Couture Millinery, who has designed the hottest accessory items of the moment. Although she makes a variety of one-of-a-kind fashionable hats for every head, the feminine, fun and sexy little gems recall the era of the 1930s and 1940s when cocktail hats first emerged on the scene to be worn to cocktail parties and soignée events. Ellen Christine’s precious cocktail hat creations and luxury millinery can be viewed at the Metropolitan Opera Gift Shop and by appointment at admin.ellenchristine.com.

SOME HISTORICAL FACTS

Little cocktail hats with peak-a-boo veils and flowery/feathery fascinator headpieces, worn at the side of the head, have been around since the 1800s. This bit of fluff has come in and out of fashion, but they have finally caught on and even modern fashionistas are perching these chic little nesting hats on their heads to be worn with almost everything. An alternative to wide brimmed hats, these delightful concoctions are the perfect finishing touch for cocktail frocks, prom dresses, evening and wedding gowns or afternoon tea.

COCKTAILS FOR TWO

Cocktail hats and cocktail dresses are fashionable partners. Celebrated French fashion designer, Christian Dior was the first to name the fashionable frock “a cocktail dress in the late 1940s. Traditional cocktail dresses were inspired by the little black dress, introduced by Coco Chanel circa 1926, when the black color was acknowledged as the most appropriate and elegant solution for cocktail attire. This fashionable duo grew into the cocktail culture of the 1950’s when the cocktail hat and the sleeveless cocktail dress were designed to satisfy most discerning constant visitors to the cocktail party.

THE FASHION ESSENTIALS

Dressing for cocktails or a special occasion was a fine art of feminine prerogative. Traditional cocktail dresses were worn with lots of accessories, particularly those little flirty hats, small black purses or gem-studded minaudieres to hold cosmetics and a bit of cash, shoes to match the color of the dress, elbow-long gloves that accented the elegance of a woman’s hand in the absence of sleeves. These accessories were ‘must haves’ to the cocktail dress well into the middle 1960s. If 2011 fashion has its way similar accessories, with the replacement of spike heels instead of matching shoes will capture the imagination of modern women, who covet the elegant, feel- good femininity that these accessories can convey to their sophisticated fashionable appearance. CONFECTIONS OF IMAGINATION

Those small extravagant cocktail hats are often decorated with romantic frills upon it including beads, jewels, sequins, flowers or feathers and very often have a peak-a-boo veil. They are closely related to fascinators, which are extremely charming hairpieces, decorated with feathers or flowers and worn on the side of the head. Most fashion stylists advise that the sophisticated little cocktail hat should be perched forward on the head, often at a titled jaunty angle, over one eye---so sexy and flirty. These witty hats contrast perfectly with the immaculate, polished groomed look today. No other hat in history has beguiled and provided a look that is so feminine, romantic, and seductive.

Double Model Image Photo by Sandy Ramirez

FASHION: HIS & HERS (c) by Polly Guerin

In her book, It’s Still Spinach (1954), fashion designer Elizabeth Hawes noted that American women usually wore skirts, while men almost always wore trousers. This edit seems to reflect common belief that most people dress in ways that they consider to be appropriately “masculine” or “feminine.” However, perceptions of gender vary according to place, time and individual experience, and no clothing style or color is “naturally” linked to one gender or the other.

A GROUND BREAKING EXHIBIT

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology presents HIS & HERS, a new exhibition that examines the relationship between gender and fashion. Side-by-by side comparisons of men’s and women’s clothing highlight the differences—and the similarities, through May 10 at the Museum at FIT, 27th Street and Seventh Avenue. Beginning with the 18th century and leading to the present the exhibit explores the so-called unisex and androgynous dress, as well as the developments in cross-gender appropriation. While skirts, for example, are generally regarded as “feminine” garments in Western culture, garments such as kilts and sarongs are common attire for men in other parts of the world, and in recent years, Western designers such as jean Paul Gaultier have created skirts for men.

THE OPULENT ERA

The exhibitions chronology begins with a brocaded silk court dress circa 1760 which is displayed alongside an elaborate embroidered velvet man’s suit from circa 1785. At that time, aristocratic dress for both men and women featured luxurious fabrics with lavish adornments that are today usually considered “feminine.” The opulence of the 18th-century menswear provides an interesting counterpoint to the generally staid men’s fashion of the 19th –century. During this period, day and eveningwear for men was typically dark and somber, while women’s dresses were brightly colored. However, men did wear exotic garments at home.

THE 20th CENTURY

Moving into the 20th –century, His & Her features a sporty, checked wool man’s suit from the 1920s paired with a checked silk day dress by Louiseboulanger. In the 1930s, women’s preferences for broad-shouldered suit actually preceded a similar trend in menswear. The “Peacock Revolution” of the 1960s, transformed menswear. Meanwhile, many women began wearing miniskirts, as well as trousers for day and evening. I remember being denied entrance to a posh restaurant in those days because I was wearing a pants suit.

THE POWER SUIT

By the 1980s, the growing presence of women in the workplace resulted in the creation of women’s “power suits.” A typical example is Yves Saint Laurent’s version with “feminine” details, such as a soft bow tie and playful animal print, alongside a man’s power suit by Alan Flusser.
Pictured above: Purple wool man's suit by Jacques, c. 1965, and red wool woman's suit by Tape measure, c. 1967.

ALTHOUGH MANY CONTEMPORARY DESIGNERS CONTINUE TO SUBVERT GENDER CODES IN VARIOUS WAYS, MOST COLLECTIONS TODAY ARE STILL CLEARLY DEFINED AS MENSWEAR OR WOMEN’S WEAR. NEVERTHELESS, SOME DESIGNERS CONSIDER BRIDGING THE MALE/FEMALE DIVIDE TO BE FUNDAMENTAL TO THEIR WORK.

Text Credits: Colleen Hill and Jennifer Farley, curators, The Museum at FIT
The Museum at FIT: Hours Tues-Fri.-noon to 8 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday, Monday, and legal holidays. Admission is FREE.

TUXEDO FASHION, A Holiday Classic (c) By Polly Guerin

Ever wonder what to wear come the holiday season? In short order, borrow from the men! No, I am not suggesting that you go out and purchase a formal tuxedo, but rather to adapt its timeless appeal in modified versions. The tuxedo, casually referred to as a “tux,” is a timeless classic that translates easily into women’s wear and it’s a spiffy way to look sophisticated and chic. Fashion designers have interpreted the tuxedo in a variety of ways that makes the style ready for any black tie event. Even show Biz personalities, like Josephine Baker and Marlene Dietrich (pictured above)adopted the “tux” to give that androgynous style to their stardom. The idea wearing black and dressing up for evening events is truly an American inspiration.
STYLISH TUXEDO LOOK
A fashionable, nipped in the waist tuxedo jacket with satin lapels, is like a short black blazer. Worn with a red glitter bustier underneath and skin curving velvet tights it cuts a dashing figure at a cocktail party. When the occasion is even more casual, wear the jacket over denim pants. The bolero style, like a waiter’s short tux jacket has youthful flair when worn with Capri pants. This short tux also pairs well, as does the classic tux jacket, with a white satin blouse and a long; side slit velvet or satin skirt for theatre or opera events. Either jacket worn with black, chiffon palazzo pants is hostess staple.
A PRINCE OF A TUX
In early 1800s most gentlemen at that time dressed in a traditional white tie and tails, and it wasn’t until the later period that the “black dinner jacket” became fashionable. In the summer of 1886 James Brown Potter, a Tuxedo Club member, went to England on vacation with his wife Cora and met the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, at a court ball in London. The Prince invited them both to visit him at Sandringham, his sprawling 11,000-acre estate in Norfolk. James Brown Potter had no idea how to dress for dinner. So asked the Prince of Wales for his advice who put him in touch with his own Savile Row tailor in London, Henry Poole & Co. where he was fitted with a short black blazer, which was quite an innovation from the formal “tails” of the time.Potter liked the new look so much that he brought the it back to Tuxedo Park. If truth be told this is the beginning of the Tuxedo but there are other versions to tell.
BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN TUXEDO
At an Autumn Ball, October 1886, in the tony enclave of Tuxedo Park, New York, the guests at the Tuxedo Club were confronted by an unexpected shock. At that time, men’s formal dress consisted of the traditional tails. However, Tuxedo Park’s high society bon vivants changed men’s formal wear with riveting results. Legend has it that Griswold Lorillard, the son of Pierre Lorillard, the founder of Tuxedo Park, N.Y. and some of his spunky friends cut off the tails of their jackets, which by the way may perhaps have been inspired by Poole's new look. The short jacket created a sensation at the ball since they were "out of uniform." without the customary tails. The event and bravado of the young men garnered unrivaled fashion publicity in the papers. The story of the Tuxedo spread like wildfire across the country and a new abbreviated men's formal fashion, the short black dinner jacket, was born.
The new style eventually became known as the "Tuxedo,” obviously named after Tuxedo Park.


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TIE ONE ON...The Fashionable Scarf (c) By Polly Guerin

Loop de Loop>

The Dangler >

It's A WRAP

The quickest way to give any outfit a touch of drama, a splash of color or to add punctuate your wardrobe with style and chic is to tie one on with a fashionable scarf. Although silk is by far luxurious come chilly weather cashmere blend wools, and cozy synthetics make scarf attire the ultimate fashion accessory. It’s a reasonable investment and has become a must-have item for women around the world. As scarves grow ever popular with society’s celebrities convey sophistication and elegance. In addition, they have the advantage of flexibility in how they are worn—around the neck, tied at the waist as a flashy belt, worn as a head covering a la Jackie Kennedy or even tied to a handbag like a badge of fashion aplomb.

A STYLE OF POSSIBILITIES Do you envy the way Hollywood stars can wear scarves and just look so trendy and cool? Duplicating the look is easier than you think and www.coffeebreakwithlizandkate.com has some easy to follow instructions:
LOOP DE LOOP: Choose a color that matches your coat or jacket. Fold a large oblong scarf in half lengthwise. Hold the scarf behind your head and bring both ends toward the front. Thread the scarf’s loose ends through the looped end and pull and wrap closely around your neck.
IT’S A WRAP: Hold an oversized oblong scarf behind your neck (do not fold—the look should be loose) Drape the scarf around your neck once to make a big loop, and let booth ends dangling one tail slightly longer than the other in front.
THE DANGLER: Start with a long rectangular scarf, looped once in front of your neck. Then make a second loop below the first loop. Take one tail and tuck it into the lower loop, dangle the ends.

HISTORICAL SCARF NOTES

Experts say that the scarf marked the rank for warriors of the Chinese Emperor Cheng. However, leave it to the French to take the scarf to new heights of importance. They became so enamored with scarves that men began to wear them, tucked into their neckline, calling them cravats, from the Croatian work kravata. Men also demonstrated their political inclination by the color of their scarf. In the 19th century European silk suppliers start to offer bands and ribbons as well as scarves, but it took the French Hermes house of luxury brands to adapt the silk used in jockey’s blouses to produce their first silk scarf, “Jeu des Omnibus et Dames blanches,” in 1937. After that the silk scarf took its turn as a fashion statement and continues its role as a status badge of fashion chic.
Don’t let the fashionistas steal the spotlight. Bundle up in scarf style and give your outfit an added dash of sophistication.