High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture
October 21, 2009-December 13, 2009
We couldn't wait any longer to tell you about this exhibition! We hope that all of our readers will all be able to attend, but for those who are outside the Los Angeles area, we will be featuring a number of exhibition related posts here on the blog.
Evening Gown
Label: Christian Dior
Marc Bohan for Dior
Spring/ Summer 1983
Gift of Mrs. Alfred Bloomingdale
FIDM Library Special Collections
“High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture” celebrates a donation of over 100 Haute Couture garments given to the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising over thirty years by International Best Dressed Hall of Fame icon Betsy Bloomingdale. Mrs. Bloomingdale married Alfred P. Bloomingdale—an heir to Bloomingdale’s department stores and founder of Diners Club credit cards—and has lived in Los Angeles her entire life. She purchased French Haute Couture from 1961 to 1996. Her wardrobe includes designs by Marc Bohan and Gianfranco Ferré for Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Balmain, Yves Saint Laurent, André Courrèges, James Galanos, Adolfo, Oscar de la Renta and Valentino. This exhibition includes over 60 ensembles and describes the process of Haute Couture, showcases her favorite designers and examines her personal style and lifestyle. Supplementary exhibition materials include hand drawn croquis (colored sketches with attached fabric swatches), contemporary photographs of Mrs. Bloomingdale at many international events (including the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana), as well as magazine layouts illustrating garments she ordered. Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog and video documentary which includes interviews with Mrs. Bloomingdale, Hubert de Givenchy, James Galanos, Oscar de la Renta, Adolfo and Francois Lesage, among others.
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