By Noma Faingold
When you think of San Francisco's history of fashion post-1906 earthquake, what might come to mind is the free-spirited hippie era of bell bottoms and psychedelic print mini-dresses or picturing the serious, all-black outfits the Beat generation wore while listening to poetry or experimental jazz in 1950s North Beach nightclubs.
The new exhibition, "Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style," opening at the de Young Museum Jan. 20 and running through Aug. 11, does not cover what the counterculture brought to local fashion.
Just the opposite.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) happen to have one of the most extensive permanent collections of 20th and 21st century couture and iconic designer women's clothing in the United States. Now it is time to show it off.
"We pulled high fashion and haute couture from the collection and are taking a focused look," said Laura L. Camerlengo, curator in charge of Costume and Textile Arts at FAMSF. "Viewers are going to be a little surprised how much we have here – really outstanding examples of design. I hope people will feel a tremendous sense of civic pride."
Camerlengo, 38, who lives in West Portal with her husband, Kevin Clerkin, and their 4-year-old daughter, Gemma, has been with the FAMSF since 2015 and was promoted to the head of the department last June. Her approach to this exhibition, featuring the work of more than 50 American (Bill Blass, Geoffrey Beene, Christopher John Rogers, Rodarte and San Francisco's Kaisik Wong) and international designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix and Issey Miyake), is to start with the objects themselves.
Laura L. Camerlengo, curator in charge of Costume and Textile Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Photo by Noma Faingold.
"Narratives start to bubble up to the surface. You can see groups emerge," Camerlengo said.
One such grouping became an exhibition section devoted to the "little black dress." The rise of the use of black in fashion grew out of the death toll in World War I, as well as wartime rationing.
"Black became a very socially democratic garment, meaning it could be worn by a variety of social classes, backgrounds and body types," Camerlengo said. "It's a color that's universally flattering. It's interesting to look at our collection and see how we trace the history of fashion changes in silhouettes and styles through the use of the color black."
The Fashioning San Francisco exhibition timeline begins the week of the 1906 earthquake and concludes with contemporary pieces from 2022.
A key reason why San Francisco became a center of style in the U.S. was because in 1947 local manufacturers and retailers signed exclusive agreements with the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, the French standards organization for fashion.
"That gave San Francisco first rights to see the best of Paris fashion, to license it, copy it and disseminate it in the United States," Camerlengo said.
San Francisco's retail landscape, with such exceptional department stores as I. Magnin and City of Paris, benefitted greatly from the access to high fashion, as did the prominent women in the area, who Camerlengo said were made up of civic leaders, philanthropists, activists, suffragettes and poets. Some, including jet setter Nan Kempner, society hostess Dodi Rosekrans and prolific haute couture patron/author Christine Suppes of Palo Alto, have supported fashion designers and cultural institutions through their love of fashion.
James Galanos (American, 1924-2016). Coat, 1985. Silk, sequins, and beads. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Christine Suppes in memory of Mary Jane Johnson, 2018.28.42.2. Photograph by Randy Dodson, courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Another section in the show features ball gowns and eveningwear, which highlights how San Francisco's philanthropic women played a role in shaping local culture and style. Several of those women have donated to the FAMSF's permanent collection.
Alexander McQueen (English, 1969-2010). Evening dress; Fall/Winter 2010 Ready-to-Wear, Silk satin, silk open-weave plain weave, silk net, coiled wire and metal wrapped silk thread embroidery (satin and chain stitches, French knots), painted metal sequins, painted metal beads and glass beads with metal prongs and bezels. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Christine Suppes in memory of Mary Jane Johnson, 2018.28.27.10. Photograph by Randy Dodson, courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
"I did a lot of research on the women. I really enjoyed piecing together their histories and learning about women who have been at the forefront of philanthropy," Camerlengo said. "We have so many independent women, who are very civic minded and very generous. They really contributed to the fiber of our City."
Suppes has gifted more than 500 ensembles to the FAMSF. Some garments will be seen for the first time in Fashioning San Francisco, an exhibit in the works for 10 years.
"A beautiful garment from any era never ceases to thrill me," Suppes said.
Other notable sections include the exploration of women's suiting/power dressing and the hot topic of cultural appropriation.
"We look at this idea of cultural borrowing and the dynamics of power," Camerlengo said. "What does it mean for a designer to look to a culture outside of their own and create a collection around it? Why were they inspired?"
Fashion exhibits have become popular in the last couple of decades. "Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy" at the Legion of Honor (2022) and "Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love" at the de Young (2021) are recent examples of presentations that attracted large crowds.
Left: On aura tout vu (French, est. 1995) (House of) Coat; Autumn/Winter Haute Couture 2003. Denim, cotton, silk, sequins, and beads. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Christine Suppes in memory of Mary Jane Johnson, 2017.75.23. Frederick Gibson Bayh (1917-2007) (Designer) Gump's Department Store (est. 1861) (Retailer) Ensemble: blouse and skirt, ca. 1945. Silk; complex weave and slit tapestry weave blouse. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Constance B. Peabody, 2015.52.2a-c. Photograph by Randy Dodson, courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San
Camerlengo, who grew up on Staten Island and went to college at St. John's University in New York, went on to earn an advanced degree at Parsons School of Design. She was the presenting curator for the Patrick Kelly show and is clear about why the public is drawn to fashion exhibits.
"It's a form of art that people find approachable because, when we enter the world, we are wrapped in cloth and when we exit the world, we go out wrapped in some sort of cloth," she said. "Everyone in some way engages with clothing and fashion."
"Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style" runs Jan. 20 through Aug. 11 at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. Learn more at famsf.org.
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