Posts in the Interview category

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

Patricia Mears, photograph by William Palmer

Patricia Mears | photo by William Palmer

This week we are thrilled to bring you an interview with Patricia Mears, MFIT deputy director and co-curator of Elegance in an Age of Crisis. For more from Patricia, see this list of past publications, and check out this fantastic interview with her on Lively Mag. You can also read Patricia’s recent chronicling of her travels to Japan while bringing a version of MFIT’s Ivy Style exhibition to Tokyo.

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

– What inspired you to organize this exhibition? As a curator + museum deputy director, was there anything specific which drew you to the 1930s?

PM: I have always loved fashions from the interwar period of the twentieth century. One reason for that is that the era was defined by modern dressing—born of progressive innovation and traditional craftsmanship—and it occurred in the realms of both women’s high fashion and men’s bespoke tailoring, as well as their respective accessories. While this might seem to be obvious—a basic fact probably known to all fashion historians—amazingly, it is not. As a specialist in women’s fashion, I was woefully unaware of the brilliant changes that had concurrently occurred in menswear. It was Bruce Boyer’s essay on the 1930s American menswear magazine, Apparel Arts (launched in 1931), that illuminated for me the fact that technical and aesthetic changes were happening in menswear, separate from but parallel to what was going on in women’s high fashion. I stumbled across Bruce’s essay about Apparel Arts, the inspiration for a joint project emerged, and voila, an exhibition was born. It was kismet!

– What does elegance mean to you?

PM: Elegance in fashion and style is the desire to present oneself with both dignity and ease. I begin my essay in the accompanying book with a quote from Madge Garland, one of the great fashion editors of the 1930s. She stated: “We admire a faultlessly dressed woman without realizing that this deceptive simplicity hides a world of calculation.” I also agree with Carmel Snow’s description: “Elegance is good taste plus a dash of daring.”

Ivory silk marquisette wedding gown, maker unknown, 1937, Paris, gift of Clifford Michel | copyright MFIT. Photo by Eileen Costa

Ivory silk marquisette wedding gown, maker unknown, 1937, Paris, gift of Clifford Michel | Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

– A significant theme of the show is the fabulous craftsmanship that went into both the couture and ready-to-wear creations of the 1930s. How were couture and ready-to-wear differentiated in the 1930s in terms of craftsmanship?

PM: Couture, because of the incredibly high level of skill available in Paris, had limitless possibilities. If one examines the hand workmanship of certain Vionnet gowns, for example, it boggles the mind. Hundreds of hours could go into crafting a single garment.

However, ready-made clothing also was often quite well executed. Claire McCardell, who designed almost exclusively in the realm of ready-to-wear, was as brilliant as anyone working in Paris. Americans had the best of both worlds, because at that time, ready-to-wear was viable only in the United States.

Madeleine Vionnet ivory silk organza gown with black lace insets, 1937, Paris, lent by Beverley Birks | copyright MFIT. Photo by Eileen Costa

Madeleine Vionnet ivory silk organza gown with black lace insets, 1937, Paris, lent by Beverley Birks | Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

Detail, Claire McCardell rayon evening dress, circa 1939, New York, gift of Denise Otis | copyright MFIT. Photo by Eileen Costa

Detail, Claire McCardell rayon evening dress, circa 1939, New York, gift of Denise Otis | Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

Claire McCardell rayon evening dress, circa 1939, New York, gift of Denise Otis | copyright MFIT. Photo by Eileen Costa

Claire McCardell rayon evening dress, circa 1939, New York, gift of Denise Otis | Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

– Was there anything you learned in the process of research and planning the exhibition that really surprised you?

PM: I knew the clothes from the 1930s would appeal to many people. How could they not? But I assumed that most of our audience would be older: perhaps, for example, people who had a closer connection to the great films of the era. But many young people have come to see the exhibition, and quite a number of them are knowledgeable about the decade. It has been invigorating and gratifying to see students, as well as people in their 20s and 30s, coming to the show, marveling over the objects, and appreciating the garments in context.

– American clothing is radically different today than in the 1930s. For anyone who wishes to get closer to the craft of dressmaking and tailoring, what do you suggest?

PM: Whether you embrace craftsmanship as a creator or as a client, you need to work at it. It should surprise no one when I say that to become a great dressmaker and/or tailor requires a lot of time and effort. But it also takes years to train your eye and hone your tastes. Should someone choose to embrace custom-clothing, let alone become a master clothes maker, I would advise such a person to remember that one must have passion in order to pursue any artistic endeavor. Passion makes the effort worthwhile.

– Is there anything you’d like to share that didn’t make it into the exhibition?

PM: We very much wanted to include two dresses worn by Ginger Rogers in two of her films with Fred Astaire. They were designed by the American couturier and costumier, Bernard Newman. The Smithsonian has both the “Piccolino” dress from Top Hat (1935) and the so-called “deadly” beaded dress from Follow the Fleet (1936), worn in the “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” number.

The latter, a heavily beaded gown with wide sleeves and a face-framing collar of fur, was adored by audiences. But Astaire detested the garment. He noted in his 1959 biography: “Ginger came up with a beaded gown that was surely designed for anything but dancing . . . had heavy beaded sleeves that hung down from the wrists . . . When Ginger did a quick turn, the sleeves, which must have weighed a few pounds each, would fly—necessitating a quick dodge by me.” Astaire’s dodges were successful in rehearsal, but during the film’s first take, one heavy sleeve did in fact hit Astaire “smack on the jaw.” The dance number was shot several more times but the first version with the “smack” is the one seen in the movie.

I was saddened to learn that, due to the fragile state of the garments, they were not available for loan.

Still image from Follow the Fleet, Ginger Rogers, 1936 | via Pretty Clever Films

Ginger Rogers, still image from Follow the Fleet, 1936 | via Pretty Clever Films

, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in Top Hat, 1935 | via Old Hollywood Tumblr

Ginger Rogers in the “Piccolino” dress, with Fred Astaire in Top Hat, 1935 | via Old Hollywood Tumblr

– Do you have a favorite ensemble from the exhibition?

PM: This is the hardest question to answer because the Vionnet dresses, all of them, are phenomenal. Having said that, I do have one favorite—the ivory tulle gown by Augustabernard. Not only is the dress that couturier’s magnum opus, it tells an underlying story about forgotten craftspeople, it speaks to the international nature of fashion, and its inclusion in the exhibition reveals something of my reliance on the great staff at MFIT, the people who make these exhibitions possible.

This gown by Augustabernard was one of the last dresses she designed. It dates to the fall of 1934, and by the end of that year, she would close her house. On a positive note, two of her top technical people would then be hired by Elsa Schiaparelli. I theorize that the new style of draping in-the-round chez Schiaparelli (as seen in the printed black crepe dress) and dating to the following season, spring 1935, was likely influenced by Augustabernard.

It is thanks to Ariele Elia, one of MFIT’s junior curators and my right-hand on this project, that this exquisite dress is part of the exhibition. I asked her to track down a version of the dress that I had seen in an auction catalogue more than a decade earlier, and to my astonishment, Ariele replied, “I think we have this dress in our collection.” So she showed me an unlabeled dress that she had noticed while studying the MFIT collection and, after examination, it became clear that yes, we did indeed already have the dress I was looking for. But it was unlabeled and, therefore, probably not a Parisian original. The MFIT version was likely a licensed, New York department store copy. This dress demonstrates the connection between the capital of haute couture and its biggest market, America, and this relationship is one of the underlying stories that enriched the dynamic fashion scene during the 1930s.

Augustabernard ivory tulle gown and slip (licensed American copy), New York, 1934, gift of Mrs. Jessie L. Hills

Augustabernard ivory tulle gown and slip (licensed American copy), New York, 1934, gift of Mrs. Jessie L. Hills | Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

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

PM: Craftsmanship, taste, and, of course, elegance.


If you haven’t yet visited the museum to see Elegance in an Age of Crisis, don’t wait—the exhibition is on view until April 19! Tweet us your thoughts and impressions with #1930sFashion.

–MM

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

Installation, Elegance in an Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s.

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

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing architect Kimberly Ackert, the exhibition designer for Elegance in an Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s.

Kimberly Ackert.

Kimberly Ackert.

Kimberly Ackert was born and raised in Southern California and has a Professional Degree in Architecture from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She has worked in France, Switzerland and Australia and won the Mercedes T. Bass Rome Prize for Architecture. Her work has been internationally published and is known for its sensitivity to natural environments and use of naturally lit spaces. She has taught Architecture at Harvard, Cornell and Yale and is currently on faculty in both the Graduate School of Architecture and the Lighting Program at Parsons, the New School University. She lives in New York and heads her own design firm Ackert Architecture.

 

KA: I had done several installation pieces over the years but never connected to fashion. I was working on an off-campus interiors project with Patricia Mears, the Deputy Director of the Museum, who invited me to see her previous show Ivy [Style], which I liked very much. After that, I was invited to submit a proposal for the 1930s show.

– Can you speak a bit about how you conceptualized the space and how you chose to reflect the themes of the show—innovation, modernity, classicism, austerity, and elegance—through design?

KA: The concept for the show was directly inspired by the clothing and the desire to create a tasteful but contemporary environment to reinforce the timeless quality of the styles. When I first began working with FIT, I saw a few of the key pieces selected for the exhibition and was particularly impressed by the evening gowns and their simplicity of line, impeccable craftsmanship, and use of flowing translucent and rich fabrics. I especially admired how the backs of the ensembles were equally if not more moving than the fronts. Keeping this in mind, I worked to create a show where the pieces could be viewed from a variety of locations and angles across the gallery to expose different profiles. I also thought to exaggerate the long line of the gowns by reflecting them into a shiny water like surface. This resulted in a composition of floating, glossy and rectangularly shaped platforms divided by floor to ceiling translucent veils or curtains. The combination of reflective and translucent elements enables long sight lines and close ups of both the backs and fronts of almost every ensemble in the show. As the scheme developed further, the space began to feel like a secret garden party on a summer evening.

An initial concept sketch. Copyright Kimberly Ackert

An initial concept sketch. © Kimberly Ackert

Collage investigation, Coypright Kimberly Ackert

Collage investigation, © Kimberly Ackert

– There is one word at the forefront of this exhibition—it’s something you sense immediately in the gallery—elegance. What does elegance mean to you?

KA: Elegance is a quality and a specific kind of energy that operates on us when basic design elements work powerfully with each other. Upon entering the space, I hoped people would feel that kind of mysterious energy and perhaps for a few minutes, be transformed by a calm, serene and refined environment.

Installation, Elegance in an Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s. Exhibition design, Kimberly Ackert, 2014. Copyright Eileen Costa

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

– Are there any connections to 1930s architecture that you employed in the exhibition design?

KA: One of my favorite buildings of all time is the forward thinking Barcelona pavilion built in 1929 by the German Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In this project one finds a similar use of free flowing open spaces, reflecting pools of water, and translucent partitions.

The Barcelona pavilion, Mies van der Rohe, 1929. Copyright Ivar Hagendoorn

The Barcelona pavilion, Mies van der Rohe, 1929

The Barcelona pavilion, Mies van der Rohe, 1929.

– Do you have a favorite ensemble from the exhibition?

KA: Yes in fact two — Augustabernard’s double helix dress for its amazing geometry and the sleek Nirvana flight suit.

Augustabernard ivory tulle gown and slip (licensed American copy), New York, 1934, gift of Mrs. Jessie L. Hills

Augustabernard ivory tulle gown and slip (licensed American copy), New York, 1934, gift of Mrs. Jessie L. Hills. Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

Ivory rayon shantung aviatrix suit and hood, maker unknown, c. 1939, possibly New York

Ivory rayon shantung aviatrix suit and hood, maker unknown, c. 1939, possibly New York. Photo by Eileen Costa. © MFIT

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

KA: I was going for these words: sophisticated, timeless, and a little dreamy.

Photo courtesy of Linda Pollack.

Photo courtesy of Linda Pollack.

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

-MM