Last week I attended The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde 1860–1900 exhibit at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco .
The event closes on June 17th, and if
you are in the area, I would highly recommend stopping by – it will absolutely
be worth your time. I know that the Gaultier
event over at the de Young has been getting all of the attention, but this
exhibit is truly spectacular.
As I have mentioned before, I was completely obsessed with the Pre-Raphaelites
in high school. But I did not realize the
full extent of the Aesthetic Movement.
It is not all loose flowing robes, Titian hair, and knights in shining
armor.
Whistler, Tissot, Morris – they
are all a part of the Victorian Avant Garde, and a part of this exhibit.
I had plans to sew up a long, romantic looking dress for the
occasion, but I got lazy and the cut fabric is folded and sitting in a pile
in the sewing room (bad, bad girl). This dress would
certainly have fit the mood of the exhibition, but for some reason, I decided
against it.
Instead, this turquoise suit (you guessed it, a Vintage Vogue Reproduction, originally printed in 1949) came out to play for a day at
the museum.
The main portion of the exhibit is downstairs, but upstairs
are some exquisite antique gowns and costumes along with an ode to Oscar Wilde. In a glass case is the most
exquisite tea gown I have ever had the privilege to look at. Hmm . . . I wonder if I could get away with a Victorian gown complete with train at the office?
I absolutely adored my day at a museum.
One afternoon was not nearly enough to fully appreciate
this collection, but it is a start . . .
Suit: Made by me,
Vogue 2476
Hat: Made by me,
Vogue 8052
Shoes: Franco Sarto
Necklace: Banana
Republic
Brooch: Gift
Earrings: Kohls
Fishnets: Simply Vera
