Icons of Style

October 4, 2013 - January 5, 2014

John Galliano, Woman's evening dress (Worn by: Cate Blanchett), 1999, Gift of Judith Hurwitz Krupp

This exhibition celebrates the interconnected roles of fashion’s makers, the models who wear their designs, and the media that disseminate those looks to the world. Drawing on the MFA Boston’s rich collection of costumes, fashion illustration, and photography, the exhibition will explore the process of creating icons of style from design concept to runway and finished image. Fashion designers express their creative concepts through their runway shows, and the exhibition will feature runway pieces by John Galliano for Dior, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Olivier Theyskens for Rochas, Arnold Scaasi, and Christian Lacroix. Designers also collaborate with celebrity clients, utilizing the latter’s star power to convey their vision. Garments worn by personalities such as Barbra Streisand, Winona Ryder, and Cate Blanchett, as they walked the red carpet in Hollywood, will be featured in the exhibition. The final section will address the power of fashion photography to capture and reinterpret the designer’s vision for a worldwide audience. The exhibition will feature 15-20 dressed mannequins, fashion illustrations and photographs that reveal the richness of design, persona, and image.

This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.