Worth/Mainbocher project

claireshaeffer

claireshaeffer

VFG Member
The Worth/Mainbocher project at the Museum of the City of New York is very exciting. Here's a brief review. We are examining Worth and Mainbocher designs in the museum's collection. At the same time, we're choosing 50 of each designer and photographing them with at least one detail of each. Sometimes the details are outside and other times inside.

The photos will be on the museums website with information about the designs and how the two designers relate to each other.

The photography will continue through March 24 in a gallery on the 2nd floor so museum visitors can actually see the manniquins being dressed and photographed. After that, we'll move back to the storage area to finish the detail photos.

All of the garments are fabulous, but some are truly unbelievable. One of my favorites is an early Worth made of cloth of silver. The silver is woven in the filling. The fabric has velvet flowers--in some places the velvet loops have been cut so they look darker than the uncut loops. The dress actually has 3 "different" fabrics. They're different only because the velvet sections are different widths, depending on where the fabric is used on the dress. Typical Worth--he had the fabrics woven for the design.

The "online exhibition" will go online sometime in the fall.
Claire
 
I will be in New York in early May but too late to see this in action. I look forward to seeing the photos in the Fall and hearing more about this exciting project.

Linn
 
Carrie,
I'll be there all week. This isn't really an exhibit--you can look into the gallery to see the garments that are dressed, some being dressed, and one being photographed. It's on the 2nd floor. If you've never seen an exhibition mounted, it is fun to watch how they pad the figures out for the individual dresses.

Phyllis Magidson, the curator, and the interns dress the manniquins. I come along at times to request detail shots. If I'm not there, I'm working downstairs and someone can get me.

If you come, there are some little take out restaurants on Madison and you can take your lunch back to the museum to eat. We don't really have a lunch time but stop sometime after 1:30 to eat. I either take my lunch or ask someone to pick up a sandwich for me.
 
What a fascinating project to be involved in! Add me to that list of people that can't wait to see it all online! :)

I'd love to know why these two designers were chosen and what their connections are, but I expect all will be revealed later on.

And its great that you are boosting Mainbocher, who certainly doesn't get the degree of recognition he deserves.

Sarah
 
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