Christian Dior fall/winter 1948

Louise Boulanger winter 1927

Callot Soeurs 1908

I finally got a chance to visit the “Fashioning San Francisco” exhibit located at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco. I have to admit, I did not really read the description of this exhibit when I purchased my tickets. From the name, I thought the exhibit would be a history of fashion in the city including Levi’s and The Gap, but instead, it was a collection of couture and demi-couture from the earthquake era to modern times worn to events in San Francisco by collectors of couture.

When we first arrived, we went into the virtual try-on room first. It was fun to try-on couture dresses, even though my Gap shirt was peeking out from underneath the gowns. haha, you can see the result below.

pictured: virtual try-on of a Valentino gown / on me: shirt / nail polish / earrings /

There were a total of three gowns to try-on virtually, which to be frank, seemed thin. I would have loved to try on more couture gowns, but I assume it is a lot to put this virtual try-on exhibit together and three was not a small task. Although it went by way too fast, it was fun and I ended up with some hilarious photos from the experience.

My favorite portion of the exhibit was the first section when you enter; the earthquake era fashion. I loved seeing gowns from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The fabric, texture, and attention to detail was amazing.

Another section of the “Fashioning San Francisco” exhibit I enjoyed were the shoes! I actually spotted a pair of Manolo Blahnik’s a co-worker of mine used to wear in the office a little over twenty years ago. I have to admit, I felt a little old seeing a pair of shoes I knew from the wild inside a museum on display. Yikes! But I digress. . .

Sommer and Kaufman 1940

My favorite pair of shoes from the exhibit was this pair pictured above. The structural silhouette seems modern, yet they are from 1940. Love that!

Of course, if you scroll to the bottom of this post, you will see one of my favorite designers of all time; Chanel! I love how the deYoung was clever and featured both a Gabrielle Chanel gown, and Karl Lagerfeld gown together. It really shows how Karl Lagerfeld was so good at channeling Chanel’s original intent in modern designs. He really was genius.

The “Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style” exhibit will be on display at the deYoung Museum through August 11, 2024. If you are local, or plan to visit the city, I highly recommend seeing it. Your ticket to the special exhibit will also grant you access to the regular collections, which I recommend as well.

You can learn more at famsf.org.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Chanel: front by Gabrielle Chanel 1939, back by Karl Lagerfeld 2012 /