Museum of the City of New York to feature Valentina / American Couture |
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| Sunday, 11 January 2009 01:16 |
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Valentina arrived in New York City in 1923 with a rudimentary knowledge of sewing. In the period between the world wars, she largely invented American couture and designed the wardrobes of the rich and the famous—actresses such as Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Cornell, and Merle Oberon—as well as socialites such as the Duchess of Windsor, Mrs. William Randolph Hearst and the heiress Millicent Rogers. As a young immigrant from the Kiev region of the Ukraine, she seized the opportunities New York provided, marshaled her many talents, and reinvented herself. As Valentina, she cultivated the famous and the rich, and in doing so helped to transform American fashion. A book of the same title, by Kohle Yohannan, is being published by Rizzoli concurrently with the exhibition; it features a foreword by Harold Koda, Curator-In-Charge, Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a preface by Phyllis Magidson, Curator of Costume and Textiles at the Museum of the City of New York and the co-curator, with Mr. Yohannan, of the exhibition. Valentina dressed everyone from Pola Negri to Greta Garbo in her graciously linear designs, and was her own most ethereally effective model far past the age at which most models withdraw from the runway. In the 1930's, she was a contemporary of such designers as Jo Copeland, Charles James, Hattie Carnegie and Claire McCardell. Valentina never stopped designing for herself, and what suited her---severe, monochromatic, beautifully cut clothes made in the finest fabrics---also suited her very elite clientele. In 1940, she moved to 21 E. 67th Street, taking over a space that had just been vacated by Elizabeth Hawes. At this time, a Valentina dress started at about $250. She frequently posed for photographs wearing her own designs. She disliked silk flowers (except in the hair), fur (unless it was sable, her big line was "Mink is for football", possibly meaning, that it was acceptable only for something as casual as watching a sporting event), wearing little prints simply because it was spring, and high-heeled shoes.  In the 1950's, Valentina was known for couture clothes that managed to look effortless in spite of all the careful workmanship and wonderful materials. In 1951, Vogue opined in its February 1 issue, that Valentina never 'makes a thing that isn't as timeless as a pair of kid gloves.' In 1957 she closed her couture house. Valentina was renowned for her interesting but unorthodox constructions and her hoods; her clothes were timeless, outside fashion and followed her belief in the free movement of the body. Besides designing for private clients she established a reputation for stage design and created costumes for such plays as The Philadelphia Story and High Spirits. Her clients included Katharine Hepburn, Gloria Swanson, Gertrude Lawrence, Irene Selznick and most notably Greta Garbo, with whom she had a famous feud which continued well into the 1980s. Valentina died in 1989. The Museum of the City of New York celebrates and interprets the city, educating the public about its distinctive character, especially its heritage of diversity, opportunity, and perpetual transformation. Founded in 1923 as a private, non-profit corporation, the Museum connects the past, present, and future of New York City. It serves the people of New York and visitors from around the world through exhibitions, school and public programs, publications, and collections Visit The Museum of the City of New York at : http://www.mcny.org/ Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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