Posts in the G. Bruce Boyer category

Interview: Ariele Elia, Assistant Curator of Costume + Textiles

Ariele Elia, MFIT Assistant Curator of Costume + Textiles, copyright MFIT. Photo by Eileen Costa

Ariele Elia, MFIT Assistant Curator of Costume + Textiles | Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

This week we are excited to bring you an interview with Ariele Elia, Assistant Curator of Costume + Textiles at MFIT. You can read her essay, “The Wardrobe of the Modern Athlete: Activewear in the 1930s,” in the exhibition’s accompanying book, Elegance in an Age of Crisis, from Yale University Press. Ariele also co-curated the current MFIT exhibition Trend-ology with MFIT Assistant Curator of Costume Emma McClendon. The show is on view now until April 30, 2014 in the Fashion and Textile History Gallery.

– What was the most surprising thing you found in researching activewear from the 1930s?

AE: I was surprised to see what an active role women played in sports during the 1930s. Athletes such as Lilí Álvarez shocked the crowds when she debuted her trouser skirt designed by Schiaparelli at Wimbledon in 1931, and Amelia Earhart became the first female to fly across the Atlantic in 1932.

Lilí Álvarez, at the 1931 French Championships, in the trouser skirt designed by Elsa Schiaparelli | PD-US

Lilí Álvarez, at the 1931 French Championships, in the trouser skirt designed by Elsa Schiaparelli | PD-US

Amelia Earhart, 1936 | Hervert & Ewing Collection, LOC

Amelia Earhart, 1936 | Hervert & Ewing Collection, LOC

– In your essay in Elegance in an Age of Crisis, you detail Jean Patou’s many contributions to fashionable resort wear and activewear in the 1930s. Why do you think the idea of the active woman resonated with him as a designer?

AE: Jean Patou was an athlete himself. He was inspired by women who played sports and wanted to create ensembles that gave them freedom of movement and would enhance their performance. He observed women playing sports to get a better idea of how their bodies moved. His brother-in-law Raymond Barbas was a French national tennis player and introduced him to Suzanne Lenglen. Patou design her famous 1921 ensemble for Wimbledon, which allowed her to leap toward the ball and swing her racket with a full range of motion.

– Are there any behind-the-scenes moments from assisting on the exhibition that stand out in your mind?

AE: I was amazed by the level of connoisseurship Patricia [Mears, Deputy Director MFIT] and Bruce [Boyer] brought to the exhibition. It was inspiring to sit and listen to them describe the details of a garment. There is so much information that can be extracted by closely examining the construction. Patricia discovered an important aspect of how Augustabernard designed. While studying a dress she observed that there were 18 pintucks sewn diagonally (with irregular intervals that varied in length and depth) on the front while there were 13 pintucks across the back; this lead her to believe this dress was shaped directly on the wearer’s body.

– Do you have a favorite ensemble from the exhibition?

AE: One of my favorite ensembles is the man’s swimsuit. It has a zipper at the waist that allows the wearer to unzip the tank portion of the suit and expose his chest. Depending on the where this man was vacationing he could adapt to his surroundings. For example people in Deauville, France were more risky and showed more skin, whereas people in New York were more conservative and covered up.

Jantzen man’s blue wool knit “crab back” swimsuit with detachable zipper, 1932, Portland, Oregon, museum purchase | copyright MFIT. Photo by Eileen Costa

Jantzen man’s blue wool knit “crab back” swimsuit with detachable zipper, 1932, Portland, Oregon, museum purchase | Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

Installation, Elegance in an Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s, 2014 | copyright MFIT. Photo by Eileen Costa

Installation, Elegance in an Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s, 2014 | Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

– And finally, please give us 3 words which describe this exhibition for you:

AE: Innovative, streamlined, elegant.

Today is the last day to see the exhibition in our Special Exhibitions Gallery! Come see us and tweet with #1930sFashion.

–MM

Interview: G. Bruce Boyer, co-curator, author + editor

G. Bruce Boyer. Co-curator, writer, and editor

G. Bruce Boyer. Co-curator, writer, and editor

This week we’re delighted to bring you an interview with the co-curator of Elegance in an Age of Crisis, G. Bruce Boyer. Bruce has been a writer and editor for over 30 years. He began his writing career in 1971, when he submitted a story on the Duke of Windsor to Town & Country, soon after becoming the magazine’s men’s fashion editor for 15 years. Bruce has published several books on menswear, including Elegance: A Guide to Quality in Menswear (Norton, 1985), Eminently Suitable, (Nortion, 1990), Fred Astaire Style (Assouline, 2006), and Gary Cooper: Enduring Style (Powerhouse Books, 2011). Feature articles by Bruce have appeared in several national and international magazines: Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Forbes, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Departures, and many more. For more Bruce, take a look at these fabulous interviews with him on Ivy Style and Keikari.

– Your essay on men’s tailoring in the book [Elegance in an Age of Crisis] talks about concurrent movements in London and Naples. Was there a cultural “need” for these two movements or were they isolated in their concerns?

BB: The years after 1914 produced a perhaps unparalleled shift in people’s lives. Over ten million were killed in what was called The Great War, another estimated fifty million died in the so-called Spanish Influenza pandemic following the war; and then of course came The Great Depression starting in 1929. It’s no wonder that incredible change and experimentation were in the very marrow of the 1930s zeitgeist. There were new concerns in hygiene and aesthetics, travel and sport, family life, work, and education. Virtually no aspect of life was left unaltered. We look to the men’s clothing experiments in London and Naples because they were the ones that bore the most fruit and are still with us today. The drape style of English tailoring and the deconstructed style of the Neapolitan school have, over the ensuing years, been the most successful. At the moment it’s the Neapolitan style which seems to hold the lion’s share of fashion in menswear, but there are many aficionados of the London drape cut as well. Between them, they make up the majority of the tailored clothing seen on the street today.

Savile Row - Tailoring at Henry Poole and Co., London, England, UK, 1944. Copyright IWM Non-commercial license. A view of the workroom at Henry Poole and Co., showing tailors at work on various types of jacket, including a naval officer's jacket, second from right on the rear row. The men are all sitting on the workbenches, some cross-legged, the garments resting in their laps as they work.

Savile Row – Tailoring at Henry Poole and Co., London, England, UK, 1944 | CC Wiki / © IWM Non-Commercial
“A view of the workroom at Henry Poole and Co., showing tailors at work on various types of jacket, including a naval officer’s jacket, second from right on the rear row. The men are all sitting on the workbenches, some cross-legged, the garments resting in their laps as they work.” – IWM via CC Wiki

– What advice do you have for anyone who wants to learn more about men’s tailoring?

BB: There are today a number of well-written books available on the history and direction of men’s clothing. Books by Alan Flusser, Michael Anton, Farid Chenoune, Bernhard Roetzel, and—modesty no virtue—me, among them.

– Can you tell us a bit more about the music featured in the videos?

BB: The musical score accompanying the exhibition is comprised mainly of hit songs from the American songbook, songs that were considered beautiful at the time and that have stood the test of time. There is an emphasis on American jazz and jazz musicians simply because it was the popular music of the day: the most lively, innovative, and influential. I continue to believe that jazz is one of America’s greatest gifts to the world.

– Do you have a favorite ensemble from the exhibition?

BB: I have two favorite ensembles from the exhibit. One would be the tweed plus-four suit made by Peter Sheppard for himself. The other would be the cream silk double-breasted dinner jacket from the atelier of Rubinacci. Both, to my mind, have a timeless elegance, and I would wear them both today.

Anderson & Sheppard wool tweed three-piece sport suit, 1935, London, lent by Steven Hitchcock. Copyright MFIT. Photo by Eileen Costa

Anderson & Sheppard wool tweed three-piece sport suit, 1935, London, lent by Steven Hitchcock. Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

London House tussah silk classic Neapolitan jacket, 1930s, Naples, lent by the Rubinacci Museum. Copyright MFIT. Photo by Eileen Costa

London House tussah silk classic Neapolitan jacket, 1930s, Naples, lent by the Rubinacci Museum. Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

– And finally, please give us 3 words which describe this exhibition for you.

BB: Elegant (obviously), intelligent, and sophisticated.

Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes interviews, and be sure to tweet us with #1930sFashion.

-MM