USITT: Floor exhibit highlights
Mar. 13th, 2011 10:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
labricoleuseMy grand plans for writing about the conference while at the conference really went the way of the dodo, given how much truly fabulous stuff there was this year in the programming schedule, and how many old friends, colleagues, and former students i met up with.
So, perhaps this coming week or so i can play catch-up and do a series of posts on the conference. I have dozens of photos, piles of literature, links to resources in abundance, and a wealth of notes on panels and sessions, many of which were just stellar. (For example, at some point i'll be covering Disney's panel on their digitally-printed fabric division, and two brilliant presentations by renowned puppetmaster and mask artisan Bob Croghan! Too cool!)
Let's start though with the visual and the pretty: floor exhibits! Last year, you may recall (or wish to now peruse) the photopost i shared of these elements of the Stage Expo, in which temporary exhibitions of collections of work are set up for the duration of the conference.
The Gene London Collection
Costume collector Gene London generously loaned selections from his huge (over 60,000 garments) collection of fashion and costume, thanks to a serendipitous encounter with a member of the Costume Commission who repaired and restored some of his pieces. Conference attendees who got into the "Examining the Personal Collection" session had the privilege of seeing the interior construction of these pieces and how they were exhibited on the forms. Here are some highlights from the exhibit:
Embellished velvet gown by Erte
Velvet and satin Erte gown and millinery design
(could've used a good steaming, huh?)
Ballet doublet designed by Erte
Silk jersey and charmeuse gown designed by Helen Rose
for Anne Sheridan in The Opposite Sex
(Back view of a Bob Mackie design for Raquel Welch in the background)
Bob Mackie design for Raquel Welch
Schiaparelli design for Joan Crawford
Beaded gown and jacket worn by Clara Bow to a film premiere in the 1920s
Another beaded 1920s confection and the (rather unattractive) back view of that earlier Erte gown.
Too Much is Not Enough: Exploring Harriett's Closet
Harriett Lake's enormous wardrobe of 4500 items spanning six decades provided the pieces for this exhibit, which varied from Chanel designs to off-the-rack items. I took a couple pictures for future reference:
I loved the construction of this swag of necklace chains mounted on the collar band.
The hat featured some great hand-forming but didn't photograph well.
Heavily-beaded fur-trimmed jacket with peacock feather motif
John C. Scheffler: Designs for Stage and Street
Scheffler's exhibit was subtitled, "The 55-Year Parade," featuring costumes from the Legends of Gold Mardi Gras krewe. There were some truly incredible renderings, and a krewe costume with a huge feathered fantail on exhibit for close inspection:
costume designs
more costume designs
still more designs
train embellishment designs
...and, one bit of own-horn-blowing, an image of my contribution to the Cover The Walls exhibition of all areas of theatrical design (sets, props, costumes) by USITT members:
My exhibit on Shipwrecked! costumes for the Cover the Walls exhibition.
So, perhaps this coming week or so i can play catch-up and do a series of posts on the conference. I have dozens of photos, piles of literature, links to resources in abundance, and a wealth of notes on panels and sessions, many of which were just stellar. (For example, at some point i'll be covering Disney's panel on their digitally-printed fabric division, and two brilliant presentations by renowned puppetmaster and mask artisan Bob Croghan! Too cool!)
Let's start though with the visual and the pretty: floor exhibits! Last year, you may recall (or wish to now peruse) the photopost i shared of these elements of the Stage Expo, in which temporary exhibitions of collections of work are set up for the duration of the conference.
Costume collector Gene London generously loaned selections from his huge (over 60,000 garments) collection of fashion and costume, thanks to a serendipitous encounter with a member of the Costume Commission who repaired and restored some of his pieces. Conference attendees who got into the "Examining the Personal Collection" session had the privilege of seeing the interior construction of these pieces and how they were exhibited on the forms. Here are some highlights from the exhibit:
Embellished velvet gown by Erte
Velvet and satin Erte gown and millinery design
(could've used a good steaming, huh?)
Ballet doublet designed by Erte
Silk jersey and charmeuse gown designed by Helen Rose
for Anne Sheridan in The Opposite Sex
(Back view of a Bob Mackie design for Raquel Welch in the background)
Bob Mackie design for Raquel Welch
Schiaparelli design for Joan Crawford
Beaded gown and jacket worn by Clara Bow to a film premiere in the 1920s
Another beaded 1920s confection and the (rather unattractive) back view of that earlier Erte gown.
Harriett Lake's enormous wardrobe of 4500 items spanning six decades provided the pieces for this exhibit, which varied from Chanel designs to off-the-rack items. I took a couple pictures for future reference:
I loved the construction of this swag of necklace chains mounted on the collar band.
The hat featured some great hand-forming but didn't photograph well.
Heavily-beaded fur-trimmed jacket with peacock feather motif
Scheffler's exhibit was subtitled, "The 55-Year Parade," featuring costumes from the Legends of Gold Mardi Gras krewe. There were some truly incredible renderings, and a krewe costume with a huge feathered fantail on exhibit for close inspection:
costume designs
more costume designs
still more designs
train embellishment designs
...and, one bit of own-horn-blowing, an image of my contribution to the Cover The Walls exhibition of all areas of theatrical design (sets, props, costumes) by USITT members:
My exhibit on Shipwrecked! costumes for the Cover the Walls exhibition.
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Wow. Just...wow.
Date: 2011-03-13 02:49 pm (UTC)Realizing that there will have been some color shifts over the years, it looks to me like the Joan Crawford dress is trimmed with silver and turquoise, and that the Clara Bow coat has a kind of purple cast. Is that correct?
The Erte with the asymmetrical overskirt appears to have a bit of the satin that comes up through the left-hand side of the cage. Do you happen to have any additional photos of that piece?
Thanks for showing these, there's some amazing work here.
Re: Wow. Just...wow.
Date: 2011-03-13 03:05 pm (UTC)And, no, i didn't get any other pix of the green/black Erte, though i suspect tons of other ppl took pictures of it, so perhaps if you put out a general call of interest and troll some of the costumer's communities other attendees may have pix up? Or if there is a USITT facebook group perhaps?
Re: Wow. Just...wow.
Date: 2011-03-13 03:10 pm (UTC)It's interesting that the Clara Bow dress is so form-fitting. Not a stylish line for the time, but certainly suitable to her public persona.
Re: Wow. Just...wow.
Date: 2011-03-13 03:34 pm (UTC)Re: Wow. Just...wow.
Date: 2011-03-13 03:36 pm (UTC)ETA: Or it could be the weight of the dress making the seams of the mannequin show through.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-13 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-13 04:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-13 06:52 pm (UTC)Wow, these are great designs, especially the costume sketches! I love the 1920s so much, even though we look back now and say, ''What were people thinking?'', but everything they wore was so flamboyant yet eccentric, which was really cool!