That Hat!

A few weeks ago, I happily came upon the opening night reception for Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles current exhibit, THAT HAT! 100 Years of Hats in Fashion. While I’m always game for an impromptu show of vintage hats, my unclad dome wished it could have showcased something from my teetering towers of hat boxes at home. It’s not every day that I’m in a roomful of aficionados, but I resisted the urge to grab something off the wall and slap it onto my head. Most of the assembled guests seemed to have planned ahead and dressed for the occasion.

Bonnets, top hats, toy hats, cloches, a pith helmet, a calash from the late 1700s and fascinators galore. Fur, feathers and felt, found in well over one hundred hats, over a span of what’s probably closer to 175 years. It’s a nicely curated, very comprehensive little show of American popular fashions. Fantastic examples of a wide variety of millinery which rival the several delightfully creepy wax mannequins donning them.

 It’s really interesting to see how the beauty standard has changed over the past 100 years. The mannequins’ physical appearance change almost as much as the fashions of each decade. Beyond the obvious hair and makeup styles (or use of) – height, face shape, coloring and expression all dramatically morph too.

Fun fact: Strands of hair on wax mannequins, including the eyebrows and lashes around the glass eyes, are individually inserted using a hot needle.

Fun fact 2: Wax mannequins are difficult to come across (production tapered off in favor of fiberglass after WWI) not just because many melted beyond recognition in hot attics, but also because rats would often chew on their extremities. Wee!

That Hat! 100 Years of Hats in Fashion is showing at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline Street in Berkeley, California from April 7th until August 4th, 2012.

 

Photos by Jeremy Brautman.

 


The Art of Clothing

Eye Candy by Rose Sellery

Eye Candy by Rose Sellery

I can’t say I’ve spent much time in Walnut Creek. Aside from using its many chain stores to populate my wedding registry, I wasn’t aware of other good reasons to go to the San Francisco suburb. I now know otherwise. The Bedford Gallery is a 3,500 sq ft contemporary arts space, located inside the large Lesher Center for the Arts and overseen by the City of Walnut Creek’s Arts Commission. Without knowing this, you could drive right past it. (I would say “walk past it,” but it is the suburbs.) I don’t know how edgy a civic art gallery is able to be, but The Bedford Gallery’s roster of past and future exhibitions is definitely intriguing.

Ms. Homeland Security by Robin Lasser and Adrienne Pao

Ms. Homeland Security by Robin Lasser and Adrienne Pao

Outfitters: The Contemporary Art of Clothing came to my attention due to its inclusion of one of my favorite artists, Nick Cave. (Not to be confused with the musician Nick Cave, another favorite.) Cave is one of twenty participating artists who, according to the press release, are “on the conceptual edge of craft, creating artworks that address our deep-seated attachment to what we – and others – wear.” The works on display are more surreal than wearable; concept art in the shape of garments. Luckily, that didn’t translate to overly sentimental “handicrafts”. It could’ve, but Bedford Gallery curator Carrie Lederer did a fantastic job assembling work that feels fresh rather than syrupy. Even without reading the signage, the artists’ voices, or at least personalities, seem clear.

Pencil Shoes by Renee Billingslea

Pencil Shoes by Renee Billingslea

One installation that really stood out for me was Victoria May‘s Blouse Series. Six sheer organza blouses, each one encasing different objects (hair, auto glass, rusted nails, sand, chicken vertebrae) between two layers of fabric. The resulting juxtapositions are gorgeous. According to May, “each blouse is a metaphor for an attitude we ‘wear’”. Perhaps my favorite, the blouse with the vertebrae, intends to expose “the sensitive nature of our nervous system”.

Blouse Series by Victoria May

Blouse Series by Victoria May

Keeping by Victoria May

Keeping by Victoria May

Penance by Victoria May

Penance by Victoria May

Exposure by Victoria May

Exposure by Victoria May

 

Charlotte Kruk‘s FlaM&Menco and M&Matador with El Traje de M&Matador were in bright, bold, cheeky contrast. In 2001, Kruk, whose medium is discarded candy wrappers, received a cease and desist letter from the M&M/Mars company demanding that that she “immediately turn over for destruction” all artworks using the corporation’s former packaging. The exhibited pieces are a direct thumb-to-nose response, displayed along with the ornately framed C&D letter itself.

FlaM&Menco and M&Matador with El Traje de M&Matador by Charlotte Kruk

FlaM&Menco and M&Matador with El Traje de M&Matador by Charlotte Kruk

M&Matador by Charlotte Kruk

M&Matador by Charlotte Kruk

FlaM&Menco by Charlotte Kruk

FlaM&Menco by Charlotte Kruk

 

Another stand out piece for me was Beverly Rayners‘s Accretion. The installation, in the form of housecoat with floor-length sleeves and a room-length train, is a trove of paper ephemera Rayner found at an estate sale. The newspaper clippings, greeting cards, photos, receipts, letters and inspirational poetry were the life-long collection of a woman and her mother before her. The piece poses questions about what amassing so much stuff means about us, and whether, at a certain point, the stuff begins to take on a life of its own. (Both good questions, and ones I revisit each time I’ve moved.)

Accretion by Beverly Rayner

Accretion by Beverly Rayner

Accretion (Sleeve Detail) by Beverly Rayner

Accretion (Sleeve Detail) by Beverly Rayner

 

Several more good shoes in the show, and a few puns.

Hermes, Gucci and Chanel Rollerskates by Libby Black

Hermes, Gucci and Chanel Rollerskates by Libby Black

The Union of Two Soles by Rose Sellery

The Union of Two Soles by Rose Sellery


Dic-shoe-naries by Renee Billingslea

Dic-shoe-naries by Renee Billingslea

A few more personal highlights:

Conquestadorkes II by Michael Arcega

Conquestadorkes II by Michael Arcega

Green Shirt by Pip Culbert

Green Shirt by Pip Culbert

Map Dresses by Elizabeth LeCourt

Map Dresses by Elizabeth LeCourt

Little Silk Dresses by Laura Raboff

Little Silk Dresses by Laura Raboff

Soundsuit by Nick Cave

Soundsuit by Nick Cave

 

I really enjoyed this show. Enough so, that I finally quit talking about starting this blog and actually put fingers to keyboard. Thank you Bedford Gallery and all of the participating artists:

Jody Alexander
Michael Arcega
Renee Billingslea
Libby Black
Nick Cave
Pip Culbert
Vic De La Rosa
Margo Jones Duvall
Susan Fenton
James Gilbert
Allyson Hollingsworth
Jeremiah Jenkins
Charlotte Kruk
Robin Lasser
Adrienne Pao
Elisabeth Lecourt
Victoria May
Laura Raboff
Beverly Rayner
Rose Sellery

Outfitters: The Contemporary Art of Clothing is on exhibit from March 4 – May 13, 2012. Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts is at 1601 Civic Dr. in Walnut Creek, California.

Photos by Jeremy Brautman.