preppy with a twist

Guggenheim

Saturday, August 13. Worn to the Guggenheim Museum for an afternoon of art. I’d never been to the Guggenheim before, but it really fantastic - the Frank Lloyd Wright designed building draws you in from the beginning and it’s the perfect size to see in a day. The main rotunda housed a retrospective of conceptual Korean artist Lee Ufan’s work, which was fascinating, and Matt enjoyed the Kandinsky, but my favorite piece in the museum was an installation by Hans Peter Feldman. Feldman was awarded the Hugo Boss Prize, which recognizes an outstanding contemporary artist. The winner receives a prize of $100,000 and a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim. So, good ol’ HPF decided to pin $100K in one dollar bills to the walls of the exhibition hall. Imagine walking into a room entirely covered in ones! When I walked in, I laughed. I love art that provokes a reaction in the viewer, and you can write him off as being a goofball, but this piece caused me to think about it’s meaning more than the Picassos downstairs. Read more about Feldman’s ideas here. 

Denim Shirt - GAP men’s, swapped / Shorts - J Crew / Necklace - H&M / Bracelets - gifts / Cross Body Bag - Kate Spade / Sunnies - thrifted / Boat Shoes - Sperry

I was going for (what I hope) is grown-up field trip chic. Cool enough for modern art, proper enough for the Upper East Side, comfy enough for a 30 block walk through the park on the way home.

p.s. If you like all of this art chat, check out Artfully Awear. Ariel blogs her amazing daily outfits and relates each of them back to an artist’s works. Very intelligent and always funky chic!

Balenciaga: Spanish Master

At center, the 1957 wedding dress of Sonsoles Díez de Rivera (daughter of Balenciaga’s Spanish muse, the Marquesa de Llanzol), inspired by Sevillana Madonna images.

On Saturday, I headed uptown to the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute for a gallery talk by Daniel A. Silva, the Museum Department Registrar at The Hispanic Society of America, and a special viewing of the Balenciaga: Spanish Master exhibit. 

The exhibition was made possible by Oscar de la Renta, whose style and career was heavily influenced by his early start at Eisa, the Spanish counterpart to Balenciaga’s couture house in Paris. It was curated by Hamish Bowles (my favorite Vogue contributor and very close friend), with many of the pieces on display coming from his personal archives.

At the Institute…

Mr. Silva spoke about Balenciaga as undeniably Spanish, drawing inspiration from classic Spanish artwork of Velasquez and Goya, traditional dress and cultural icons including the costumes worn by flamenco dancers and bullfighters. Here are some of my favorite exhibition pieces and their inspirations.

Velasquez’ Las Meninas and the 1939 Balenciaga dress based on it.

Balenciaga was not a fan of the bullfight itself, but created several garments inspired by the traje de luces, the heavily embroidered costume worn by the torero, and popularized bolero jackets as a result. He also incorporated carnations, which were thrown into the ring to congratulate a triumphant matador, into textile designs. Oscar de la Renta created a gown for his SS11 collection also based on the carnation motif.

Though usually Balenciaga drew from Spain’s rich cultural heritage, he was also inspired by contemporary Spanish art such as Joan Miro’s abstract paintings. This 1960 charteuse dress was made of silk gazar, a textile originated by Balenciaga to allow for increasingly experimental designs.

Lastly, the real showstopper - 1967 Balenciaga gown and wrap based on the idea of the Maja, the Spanish version of the English dandy, with Goya’s painting of the Duchess of Alba.

If you’re in New York, I highly recommend visiting - the exhibition on this legendary designer continues through February 19. You can also check out more reviews of the exhibit at Habitually Chic and Paris Breakfast, and pre-order your copy of Balenciaga and Spain by Hamish Bowles, due out this March.

(All borrowed images are linked to their original source. Uncredited images are my own.)