Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger

Flower brooch by CIS/Countess Zoltowska, circa 1955.

Big. Bold. Beautiful. These words could describe one of the glorious necklaces on display at the new exhibit Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger, now on view at The Museum of Arts and Design. They could also describe the show itself, of the type that doesn’t come along that often because it represents the life’s work of someone with a passion and a vision. The last time I felt moved by the collection of a single individual was during the 2011 exhibit Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT. Both shows remind me that a collection, of anything, is as individual as a fingerprint, and gives the viewer a window into the collector’s aesthetics, thoughts, and dream life. It can’t help being so personal.

A Schreiner necklace from 1960.

There are 450 objects on display, culled from Ms. Berger’s collection of 4,000 pieces, representing 80 designers, and over 100 years of fashion history. This is a show not to be missed for anyone who loves costume jewelry, whether vintage and contemporary. If vintage is your thing, you can explore the designs of world-famous costume jewelers like Maison Gripoix, Trifari, Miriam Haskell, Schreiner, Marcel Boucher, Kenneth Jay Lane, and many others. You can delight in designs by Chanel, Balenciaga, Dior, Valentino, and Yves Saint Laurent. If you want to see more contemporary pieces, there are glorious works by Iradj Moini, Lawrence Vrba, Daniel Von Weinberger, and David Mandel.

This amazing feather necklace is by Maison Gripoix, 2000.

The back of the necklace.

MAD Curator Dorothy Globus said that costume jewelry offers “as much craftsmanship and design” as the real thing. “The settings, the soldering, it’s every bit as fine as fine jewelry.” One unique feature of the exhibit allows viewers to see the back of select pieces to enjoy the craftsmanship Ms. Globus mentioned.

Guest curator Harrice Simons Miller, a noted costume jewelry historian and author, remarked how special the show was because of “the huge range in years and designers.”

I want to wear this on the 4th of July! By Lawrence Vrba, 1990.

A 1975 cuff by Valentino. I am dying of love over this piece!

A Bowknot brooch from Chistian Dior by Maison Gripoix, 1960.

Ms. Berger began collecting costume jewelry when she was 13. Her first acquisition was a pair of Chanel earrings purchased at a French flea market. The daughter of a diamond merchant, she grew up in New York, lived in Belgium for 25 years, and now makes her home in Mexico. She is still collecting. “I’m a Sagittarius, and I love to travel. Whenever I’m traveling, I find something.”

The pictures I’m showing here are a fraction (a teeny tiny fraction!) of what is on display and are (some of) my absolute favorites, but there is so much to love in this exhibit.

Ms. Berger said, “It’s a happy show, you can’t leave without smiling.”

By CIS/Countess Zoltowska, circa 1955. She was known for crackled glass cabochons and bib-style necklaces.

A Venetian Mask by Timothy Szlyk for Thorin & Co., 2011.

Attributed to Yves Saint Laurent or Chanel, by Maison Gripoix, 1960.

By Yves Saint Laurent, 1990. Those baubles are plastic, not stones. Amazing!

A 1940 brooch by Joseff-Hollywood.

A beautiful collar necklace by an unknown French designer, circa 1950.

Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger is on view at The Museum of Arts and Design through January 20, 2014.

The Museum of Arts and Design
Jerome and Simona Chazen Building
2 Columbus Circle
madmuseum.org
Open daily 10AM-6PM (Thurs and Fri until 9PM)
Closed Mondays (except select holidays)

You Know It’s Hot When the Cat Pants

We are in the middle of a heat wave in New York City and tonight my daughter said to me, “Look, Mommy, Tippi is panting!”

Sure enough, Tippi, our 11-month old tuxedo kitten, was panting like a dog. Poor kitty! I have been keeping a close eye on her and trying to get her drink more water.

Tippi is forever chic in black & white.

Tippi and I hope you are staying cool wherever you are.

Costume Jewelry Love

A brooch from LaCrasia in NYC.

I am beyond excited to see Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger opening at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City today. I first read about this exhibition in Harper’s Bazaar and am going to the preview this morning. It sounds like Ms. Berger has an amazing and enormous collection (4,000 pieces, 450 will be on display) so I will report back with pictures as soon as I can. In the meantime, just thinking about costume jewelry reminds me how much I love it and here are a few favorite pieces I either own or have bought for others.

I purchased the above brooch by LaCrasia from their boutique at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. If you ever visit NYC, you must go, they have wonderful things for reasonable prices in that tiny little shop. I originally bought this brooch for my husband’s grandmother. When it was returned to me on her passing, I gave it to my mother. I still love it. Isn’t it old school glamorous? Can’t you just see this pinned to black velvet?

Givenchy necklace, 1977.

My enamel Givenchy pendant necklace from 1977 is an eBay gem. This is so great for summer, very simple and disco fabulous. I especially love to wear this with black and white and red nails! I’m wearing this to the preview today, along with a white blazer and black pants.

The enamel is in perfect condition.

This Chanel pendant is perfect at Christmas.

I picked up this Chanel pendant on eBay as well, over a year ago. I won it at auction and the bidding was fierce at the end! I like to wear this at Christmas time when I’m dressed all in black.

I love this dragonfly brooch pinned to my straw bag.

I recently found this dragonfly brooch for a song at a local thrift shop here in Brooklyn. I bought it the day The Great Gatsby opened in theaters. I had the 1920s on my mind and thought this might be something Daisy Buchanan would wear in her hair (hers would be real of course). I have it pinned to my summer straw bag from J. Crew.

Fabulous Fakes by Carole Tanenbaum is a great resource.

I found this book about costume jewelry a few years ago for about $6. I love looking through it to learn more about vintage pieces.

Tell me about your special costume jewelry! Was it given to you? Do you find it at thrift shops or on eBay? What is your favorite piece?

Sunglasses Style by Anna, Rachel, & Linda

Anna at the Chanel show in March of this year. Photo by Bauer Griffin.

Consider this your friendly reminder that Adrienne of The Rich Life (on a budget) and I would love for you to join us in July for “How I Wear My: Sunglasses” and in honor of that I thought I’d share a few pictures of ladies who clearly love sunglasses.

Anna Wintour normally goes for a gigantic wraparound style, very often by Chanel. Completely unrelated side note: Isn't that coat she is wearing above amazing? She was on her way to the Chanel show so one guess on who made it!

Anna on the cover of WSJ Magazine. Photo by Mario Testino.

Rachel in big gold glam frames and my/her jacket! Photo by FameFlynet Pictures.

Rachel Zoe must have a huge collection of sunglasses. Can you imagine? I die! My favorites on her include glamorous gold frames or round sunnies.

Rachel in round black frames. Photo by Vittorio Zunino.

Linda in aviators (with Ken Downing, SVP, Neiman Marcus). Photo by Chelsea Lauren.

Linda Fargo, one of my favorite silver foxes, looks chic no matter what, but I particularly like her in aviators or cat-eye frames.

Linda in cat-eye sunglasses. Photo by Mr. Newton.

What style do you gravitate towards? Send a picture of yourself in your sunglasses to me or Adrienne by July 1!

Mendel Goldberg

Mood board by Alice Goldberg Wildes. A lady after my own heart. I approve!

I stepped into a little piece of heaven when I walked into Mendel Goldberg last Sunday and saw bolt after bolt of the most glorious fabrics not only in New York, but in the world. Greeting me at the door was a fabulous inspiration board put together by Alice Goldberg Wildes, great-granddaughter of the store’s founder Mendel Goldberg, and after that there were fabrics that will make you want to sew even if you’ve never picked up a needle in your life.

The inside of the restored Mendel Goldberg.

So much to love. How do you choose?

Mendel Goldberg, on New York’s Lower East Side, reopened in April 2013 after a devastating fire last year forced the store—open since 1890—to temporarily relocate to Broome Street.

For all you DIY Chanel jacket sewers out there, you know Mendel Goldberg is a great New York City resource for European bouclé and of course I fell in love with more than one bolt. These two are the winners but I have to think about it and ask myself: Am I a good enough sewer to step up for pricey fabric even though this will be my first attempt at a jacket of this kind? My jury is still out but feel free to weigh in if you have an opinion on this subject.

This is black bouclé with paint-flecked ribbon woven in.

This is midnight blue bouclé with black Lurex threaded throughout. It is gorgeous!

You can find the fabrics to make this Valentino dress ($3,490) right now at Mendel Goldberg.

This has to be one of the most inspiring stores in all of New York City so even if you don’t sew and have no intention of ever learning how, you ought to visit this landmark shop if only to get a sense of what it must be like to be in a designer’s atelier surrounded by yards and yards of breathtaking beauty.

Mendel Goldberg
72 Hester Street (between Allen and Orchard Streets)
212-925-9110 (call for store hours)

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.

Treat yourself right and read this book this summer!

If you are looking for a terrific summer read, I highly recommend Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson. When I picked it up at the library I was only hoping to learn something about the tensions between Hubert de Givenchy, who provided the wonderful costumes for Audrey Hepburn in the movie, and Edith Head, relegated to “Costume Supervisor” on the film. What I got instead is one of the most interesting and entertaining books I’ve read in a long time.

I love this picture of Audrey as Holly.

Wasson takes the reader on a fast-paced fascinating journey exploring exactly how Breakfast at Tiffany’s got made and sketching the careers and personal lives of the various people involved in it—from Truman Capote the writer of the novella (obsessed with New York socialite Babe Paley) to Audrey Hepburn the anxiety-ridden star (who was also a new mom at the time of the shoot). You meet Blake Edwards the young break-out director, George Axelrod the screenwriter who wanted to bring an element of sex to the film, George Peppard the egotistical male lead, and Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, the very talented composer and lyricist, respectively, of “Moon River,” the Oscar-winning song from the film, each wanting to work with the other for years. Wasson shows how a classic movie was created from start to finish and provides fun details you may not read anywhere else. My favorites were about Holly’s cat “Cat” and the party scene.

Audrey and one of the 13 cats playing “Cat” in the film!

There was an open cat-call in New York for the part of Holly’s cat and Orangey, a cat from Queens, got the role. At least part of it. More than a dozen cats were needed for the movie. Cat trainer Frank Inn said, “I have a sitting cat, a going cat, a meowing cat, a throwing cat—and so on, each one a specialist, and all the same color you’ll notice.”

As for Orangey he said, “He’s a real New York type cat, just what we want. In no time at all I’m going to make a Method, or Lee Strassberg type, cat out of him.”

A still from the party at Holly’s place.

The party scene at Holly’s apartment took seven days to shoot and Edwards hired actors, not extras, because he knew he was going to try different things and wanted to make sure he had actors on set who could handle it. He also had a choreographer to help him put the intricate scene together.

Another great scene. Holly to Paul re stripper: Do you think she is talented? Deeply and importantly talented?

Wasson also includes what various critics thought of the movie, not only at the time of its release in 1961 but more recent criticism as well. Judith Crist wrote in 2009:

“It was one of the earliest pictures to ask us to be sympathetic toward a slightly immoral young woman. Movies were beginning to say that if you were imperfect, you didn’t have to be punished.”

If you want a smart book for the beach, this is the one to get!

All film stills from Doctor Macro.

Magnetic McQueen

A stunning 1999 silk chiffon dress by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy.

At the exhibit RetroSpective, now on view at The Museum at FIT, I found myself drawn like a magnet to this 1999 painted silk chiffon dress by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy. His design inspiration was the 1833 painting The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche.

Lady Jane Grey is often called the “Nine Days’ Queen” because she was the de facto Queen of England from July 10-19, 1553. As Edward VI, the 15-year-old King of England and son of Henry VIII, was dying, he nominated his cousin Jane to succeed him in order to subvert the claim to the throne of his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth. After his death the Privy Council decided to promote Mary’s claim to the crown instead and accused Lady Jane of high treason. She was executed in February 1554 at the age of 16.

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche, 1833.

The delicacy of the dress reminds me of a McQueen quote from the gallery text at the blockbuster show Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in 2011:

“Working in the atelier [at Givenchy] was fundamental to my career…because I was a tailor, I didn’t totally understand softness, or lightness. I learned lightness at Givenchy. I was a tailor at Savile Row. At Givenchy I learned to soften. For me, it was an education. As a designer I could have left it behind. But working at Givenchy helped me learn my craft.”

This dress is a perfect example of what he learned at Givenchy with the layers of fluttery ruffles, the sheer bodice, the full billowy sleeves that become tight—and mimic the bodice—at the wrist. And the collar seems like a soft Elizabethan ruff—an ironic nod pointing to who will eventually succeed Jane, perhaps?

Another McQueen quote I found seems fitting in context:

“For me, what I do is an artistic expression which is channeled through me. Fashion is just the medium.”

I agree with him because this dress is a work of art. It is perfectly placed at the beginning of RetroSpective, on view until November 16, 2013.

The Museum at FIT
Seventh Avenue at 27th Street
New York NY 10001-5992
212-217-4558
Hours: Tuesday-Friday: Noon-8PM
Saturday: 10AM-5PM
Closed Sundays, Mondays, and legal holidays
Admission is free

Stephen Burrows: An Intimate Interview

A colorblocked Stephen Burrows coat dress from Fall 1971.

On Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 6:30pm, The Museum of the City of New York will host “Stephen Burrows: An Intimate Interview” featuring Mr. Burrows in conversation with Kim Jenkins, Parsons Fashion Studies MA graduate.

Mr. Burrows will discuss the downtown scene in 1970s New York City, his pioneering style, and how his vibrant colors, metallic fabrics, and slinky silhouettes helped define the look of the disco generation.

This event is in conjunction with the wonderful exhibit Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced now on view at MCNY until July 28, 2013. The Museum will keep the exhibit open late next Wednesday so you can view the clothes before the interview begins.

A peach wrap halter and skirt, 1975, and the “Back Knot” cocktail dress, 1983.

This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from a fashion design legend and I guarantee you will not only have a great time, but you will learn so much! Mr. Burrows is funny, humble, and very engaging when speaking of his design aesthetic and career. If Ms. Jenkins can get him to talk about this Studio 54 days too, you are in for a treat.

A group of dresses from the early 1970s with the slinky silhouette Burrows is known for.

Reservations are required. Tickets are $6 for Museum members, $8 for seniors and students, and $12 for the general public. To register by phone call 917-492-3395 or click here to go to the MCNY Box Office.

Attend if you can, I highly recommend this event!

The Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue (between 103rd/104th Streets)

Linda in Black (with Cutouts!)

Linda Fargo at the CFDA Awards. Photo by Erin Baiano for The New York Times.

When I saw photos of what Linda Fargo, senior vice president of the fashion office and store presentation at Bergdorf Goodman, wore to the CFDA awards earlier this week, I actually said out loud, “Whoa.”

She looks amazing in this Michael Kors cutout dress. Linda is in her 50s and I admire her fearless style so much. She said this to The New York Times about her dress:

“I had to have a tan to wear this. And a smile.”

At the after-party. Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images North America.

I’ve posted on Linda before—when she wore her yellow pants, or her coral jacket and cat-eye sunglasses—and she continues to inspire me.

What do you think of Linda in this dress?

Her perfect bob makes me want to say a prayer to the Hair Gods: When I go gray, please give me this hair color or help me find a colorist who can tell me how to be a silver fox of this magnitude.

The makeup is perfection and how do you get that hair color? Photo by Ilya S. Savenok.

If any of YOU fine foxes out there know how to get this shade of silver, please do tell. I want to hear all about it.