Sharon Haver - FocusOnStyle.com costume exhibition posts

The Iconic Style of Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Growing up I was always inspired by the style of Jacqueline de Ribes. I would tear through the society pages in my mother's Women's Wear Daily and amidst all the socialites photographed at charity functions and black tie events, one woman would grab my attention like no other. Countess Jacqueline de Ribes with her regal profile, long neck and volumes of dark hair, model slim figure and unmeasurable poise was a beacon of authentic style... a woman who knew how to make the most of what she's got in the truest form of iconic style. The Costume Institute is at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is honoring her style in the special Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style costume exhibition

I popped uptown yesterday to the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute’s new Anna Wintour Costume Center for the press preview of its first exhibition, Charles James: Beyond Fashion spotlighting the career of the legendary 20th-century Anglo-American couturier (1906–1978). Through the years, I've seen pieces of James work and many of the gowns on display seemed like beautiful old friends that I was delighted to reaquaint with. But it wasn't a gown that made me smile. The first down jacket, and it was couture. It was seeing his white celenese satin jacket with eiderdown filling, 1937, a textile based sculpture in response to the boxy fur jackets that designer Elsa Schiaparelli was showing and what many women wore at the time. Love it or leave it, this

First look at this Dries Van Noten Paris celebratory exhibition had me cheering for the designer’s novel approach to mixing bold prints, vivid colors, ethnic references and plays with textiles in ways that are fiercely modern. Let's see what Richard saw. –S.H. I went to see the newly launched Dries Van Noten exhibition last Thursday with a friend visiting from out of town who is into fashion (and who comes once a year to Paris to buy her clothes), so I thought she would enjoy taking in the inspirations too. The fashion exhibitions at Musée des Arts Decoratifs are studiously presented in a specially designated space. The atmosphere is almost like going to the theater: it’s pitch black except for

When we think of the black dress, an L.B.D. typically comes to mind. Well, not so fast. Kicking off New York Fashion Week, I made at very worthwhile stop at the opening of The Black Dress: Ten Contemporary Fashion Designers which celebrates the singular vision of featured black fashion designers: Jeffrey Banks, Samantha Black, Stephen Burrows, Donna Dove, Epperson, Michael Jerome Francis, Byron Lars, Tracy Reese, Omar Salam and LaQuan Smith who have found success in an industry that historically downplays their achievements. >> MORE: FASHION SHOWS AND RUNWAY REVIEWS And TREND SPOTLIGHTS The exhibition's fashion consultant Walter Greene explained the relevancy of the coterie of designers as, "it represents a coming together of Black designers from the diaspora. They are designers who were born in Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and the US, the common thread is

I daresay that even the most glitz phobic could not help but be wowed by this exhibition. I ran up to see the press preview of Jewelry by JAR at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this morning and barely wanted to leave the show. Honestly, I could have spent the day soaking up the radiant jewels on display and although I didn't get a ring to 'put on it,' I did come back with a tome to explore on the way home… A native New Yorker, Harvard educated Joel A. Rosenthal, based in Paris, has worked under the name Jewels by JAR with this being his first stateside retrospective exhibition with over 400 pieces on hand. What started out as

Follow my blog with Bloglovin See inside the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit 'From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk' at the Brooklyn Museum Hard not to admit that this costume exhibition is close to my heart. Waxing nostalgic, as a Brooklyn native, my mom used to take me to art classes at the Brooklyn Museum. It's architecturally a gorgeous regal museum that's a houses an excellent permanent collection of Egyptian art as well as an incredible Rodin collection. I chose to wear Jean Paul Gaultier in this "back in the day" magazine article about me where I am quoted as saying, "There's no point wearing jewelry unless it is weird, or at least, unusual." And, then there was the 80s and on.

Celebrating Roger Vivier in Paris, the storied creator of covetable footwear for even the most regal of society women, with a new retrospective honoring his legendary career: Roger Vivier Paris retrospective Richard Nahem, our FocusOnStyle Parisian correspondent, has an admitted fancy for genius shoes as he worked in a family retail shoe business as a teenager selling platform shoes and later on at the Delman Shoe Salon at Bergdorf Goodman in the early 80's, dispensing shoes to the hautiest of women. Let's hear what he says about this fantastic shoe exhibition… Roger Vivier Paris retrospective As many of you know I have a thing for shoes, as I worked in a family retail shoe business as a teenager selling platform

Azzedine Alaia is simply a master at his genius. I don't now about you, but I'll always covet the few Azzedine Alaia pieces that I was lucky enough to own. Stepping into the world of Alaia is a universe driven to make the woman's body look as beautiful as possible, never edging on vulgarity or over exposure. Let's have Richard take us on a virtual tour of this extraordinary homage to Alaia in Paris. --S.H. It's fashion month in Paris with the glorious Azzedine Alaia Exhibition at Palais Gailliera coinciding with Paris Fashion Week. The designer’s designer, Tunisian born Azzedine Alaia is a master couturier and one of the rare designers who is as adept at tailoring as he is at draping. Alaia aspires to flatter and sculpt the female form to

Little Black Dress Exhibit, Mona Bismarck American Center

Everyone wants a perfect Little Black Dress, or two or three in their wardrobe. But imagine when not "little" but MAJOR black dresses are curated into one exhibition, and that's in Paris…. ohh la la, it's drool city. Take an inspirational tour of the Little Black Dress Exhibit at the Mona Bismarck American Center Paris with Richard Nahem as your guide and tell me which LBD is tops on your wish list? Oh, yes, and Richard met his fashion idol, let's see who… -S.H. >> WATCH: How to accessorize a little black dress Yesterday was one of those surprising days where I had an unexpected pleasure bestowed upon me when I went to see the Little Black Dress exhibit at the Mona Bismarck American Center. I was about

From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly - Beyond the Icon at the McCord Museum Montreal

I'll Have What She's Having: French Canadian Chic Week continues with timeless Grace Kelly style via the "From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly - Beyond the Icon" exhibition in Montreal. The Grace Kelly exhibition at Museum McCord in Montreal is more biographical than costume. As you walk through the galleries, what you see is deeper than the clothes themselves. It becomes the story of a young woman who rose from model to actress to Princess to style icon. From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly - Beyond the Icon at the McCord Museum Montreal >>MORE: I'll Have What She's Having What is the most apparent is that the clothes on their own are all lovely, if not even dated or dowdy in some

Left: Sid Vicious, 1977. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph © Dennis Morris - all rights reserved Right: Karl Lagerfeld (French, born Hamburg, 1938) for House of Chanel (French, founded 1913), 2011. Vogue, March 2011. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by David Sims.

Every once in a while f-a-s-h-i-o-n takes itself way too seriously and fails to remember the heart + soul that is the inspiration for its being. There, I have said it. I wanted to love PUNK: Chaos to Couture at The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. But when you take the grit out of a movement and distance it from its authenticity, what's left are derivative pieces which, when standing alone, are lost in the vapor that is a hot flash of fashion. Sanitizing iconic punk style to what could be a Broadway musical version for the matinée fashion set. Are you for real? Where's the chaos? Where's the historical appeal? A "replica" of the CBGB bathroom attempts to set the mood.

We've got the inside scoop on Paris Haute Couture show…. Our Paris insider Richard Nahem, got up close & personal with his iPhone to take these exclusive pics for you. The stunning retrospective spans 150 years of haute couture with over 100 outfits selected from the 20,000 plus Musée Galliera collection. The Paris Haute Couture Exhibition presented by Swarovski at the Hotel de Ville/City Hall spans the history of haute couture in Paris from the late 1800s to the present time and designers include Chanel, Christian Dior, Worth, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Poiret, Lanvin, Vionnet, Patou, Molyneux, Rochas, Nina Ricci, Schiaparelli, Jacques Fath, Grès, Balmain, Carven, Givenchy, Cardin, Courrèges, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lacroix, and Alaïa. Sketches, photos, and accessories are also exhibited. >>RELATED: FASHION

Paris In Style: Chloe Attitudes Exhibit at Palais de Tokyo There hasn’t been a fashion exhibit that has wowed me since I wrote about the Madame Grés exhibit last spring. The Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton show earlier this year was a letdown for me and far too much a promotion for the brand. I just went to the Chloe Attitudes show and it was a delightful surprise, as I didn’t know much about it before I saw it. Chloe Attitudes The show is a tribute to Gaby Aghion, who started the Chloe label 60 years ago by having a casual show of the first collection at the Café de Flore. In subsequent years she strived to make Chloe a brand that would have the informality of everyday wearable clothes with the luxuriousness

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The Iconic Style of Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A sneak peek into Charles James: Beyond Fashion at the Met

You really want to see this Dries Van Noten Paris Exhibition

The Black Dress- Black Fashion Designers in celebration of Black History Month + New York Fashion Week

Warning: You may be blinded by desire! Jewelry by JAR dazzles at the Met

Beyond the Fashion Pack: Don’t miss the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit

Celebrating Roger Vivier in Paris, the Creator of the Stiletto Heel and More

You really want to see this: Azzedine Alaia Paris exhibition at Palais Gailliera

See: The Perfect Little Black Dress in Paris… all here!

Grace Kelly Style- “From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly – Beyond the Icon” Exhibition in Montreal

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s PUNK: Chaos to Couture at The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dresses to Dream About: The Paris Haute Couture Exhibition

The Right Attitudes: Chloe Exhibit in Paris Explores the History of the Fashion House

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