High Style Exhibition at the Legion of Honor

From Brooklyn to San Francisco, the fashion exhibit High Style has opened up at the Legion of Honor where it will continue to show until July 19. Located in the equally stunning, neoclassical French inspired venue, the designer duds give a brief history of trends starting over a hundred years ago. It was quite an honor indeed to get to see the work of some of the greatest designers in fashion history.

As expected when telling the history of fashion, a collection wouldn't have done justice without the given items from the House of Worth, Dior and Chanel. They are always expected as are the intricately structured pieces from Charles James, America's first couturier, as his dress is the face of this show. James is definitely getting his moment in the light once again as his work is also exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most of the renowned pieces are in New York while this small collection only had a handful of his garments. What set this show apart from the Met's is their display of sketches and the internal construction of the dresses. Nevertheless each piece was just as breathtaking as it was memorable, oh to fit into the tiny corsets of the time!

The collection itself didn't focus on just dresses as it wouldn't be right when giving light to fashions history. Various accessories from Dainty heels dating as far back as 1939 designed by Steven Arpad, kooky hats from Sally Victor made before Philip Treacy got his start were all there to enjoy. It's clear to see that the curation of this collection has been thought out and scoured for the utmost pristine pieces.

One of the designers I was delightfully surprised to see was the work of a personal favorite, Madame Gres. Her work has been influential in ways many don't realize from the drapery to her muted color palette that gave the dresses a sculptural feeling. If only there were more items to admire and fully comprehend her infinite talent. This pristine level of elegance was creatively placed near the work of the tongue-in-cheek Elsa Schiaparelli who brought a little humor to everything she did. A black suit, tailored with finesse didn't seem impactful until upon closer inspection it's noticeable that the buttons are indeed little black pianos! This kind of wit and whimsy along with insect encrusted necklaces show why she is deserving of being in this show.

There are more pieces to see from a flapper dress to a Halston, this roundup gives a nice walkthrough of the evolution of women's apparel. While the collection itself is small when compared to that of the Victoria and Albert Museum or the Met's, it's still worth the trip to the de Young for a peaceful afternoon of designer luxury and a walk around the premises.