National Museum of American History plans preservation of Dorothy's Ruby Slippers

One of several pairs of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore as Dorothy Gale in "The Wizard of Oz"

Growing up, watching "The Wizard of Oz" every year on television was a family tradition.  It is, and was, one of my favorite films and I loved the books as well.  Chief among the reasons I loved the movie were the beautiful ruby red slippers Dorothy Gale wore during her adventure in Oz.  My eyes would light up every time they were on screen.  They are quite possibly the most famous shoes in history.

The National Museum of American History announced today that it will be removing a pair of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film in order for them to be stabilized and preserved to prevent future deterioration.

The last day to see the over 75 year old slippers on display is Sunday, April 23, 2017.  After that, conservators at the museum will begin their work.

They ruby slippers have been on display at the Smithsonian since being donated in 1979. They are among five known surviving pairs.

photo courtesy of National Museum of American History Instagram.

In October 2016, the museum launched a Kickstarter campaign, hoping to raise $300,000 for conservation of the slippers.  They raised more than $349,000 from over 6,000 backers.

The museum is planning to perform analysis to understand how the Ruby Slippers were made, what their life has been over the past 80 years, and then build a special display case.  Conservators said that the conservation of the slippers is so expensive because they are a complex pair of shoes.

According to conservator Dawn Wallace, "the slippers were made by the studio by modifying commercially purchased shoes. Costume makers dyed them red, cut a fabric netting pattern to match the shape of the shoes, sewed the sequins to pattern, and then sewed the sequins to the shoes. The bows are not part of the commercial shoes so costume makers created those too, cutting a fabric to the bow shape and then covering that with a netting that had the glass beads with brass prongs attached, and then attaching the bow to the shoes.

"To conserve and preserve the slippers, we must consider each material that make up the slippers. For example, the sequins themselves are made of two different materials, a gelatin body coated with a cellulose nitrate lacquer. Steel nails hold the heel caps to the heels. Overall there are more than 12 different materials that make up the slippers and we need to understand how each material has aged over the past 80 years, their current condition, and how they interact with the environment, individually, and as the whole slipper."

During conservation, the slippers will also be cleaned and stabilized, as well as have separated soles, loose threads, and flaking paint repaired.

The shoes were designed and made by Adrian for the then 16 year old Garland.

Although the slippers are silver in the book by L. Frank Baum; they were changed to ruby red in the Technicolor movie to show up more vividly against the yellow-brick road. The size five shoes, one of several used during filming, are well worn, which conservators suggest indicates they were Garland's primary pair for dance sequences.

The Smithsonian plans to update the public on the conservation efforts, as well as when the slippers will return to display.

Alberta Ferretti Does Romantic Venice

Alberta Ferretti kicked off Milan Fashion Week with a romantic Venice theme.

Ferretti has long been one of my favorite designers.  I am in love with her pretty, romantic dresses and her use of the most sumptuous fabrics.

For her fall 2017 ready-to-wear show she used diaphanous chiffons, rich velvets, and sturdy knits embellished with cascading corsages of feathers, dramatic feathers, and majestic gold lions.

Lending to the Venice feel were Grand Canal printed chiffon, gondolier stripes, and the Piazza San Marco’s lion, as well as long, hooded capes and half masks, giving a Carnival feel.

My favorites were a stunning feathered gown and all of the dramatic capes...I mean, would it be inappropriate for me to show up to work in a sweeping hooded cape a la a heroine in a historical romance?  I think not!

View the entire collection at vogue.com. 

Malick Sidibé Photographed a changing Malian Culture

I feel the work of Malian photographer Malick Sidibé within my heart.  The photos of everyday people and families, as well as youth culture in Mali in the 50s, 60s and 70s, remind me of the photographs my parents took in their young adult years in the 70s and our youth in the 80s.  When looking at his photographs, I always think of family and friends and youth. 

 It’s truly some of the best, most joyous photography you will ever see.  So many great images that it’s so hard to choose a favorite, but if I had to choose, it would be his Nuit de Noel (1963).  Nuit de Noel is youth, culture, music, love and family all in one image.

Nuit de Noel (1963).

Everything about Sidibé’s black and white photography is amazing – the brash swagger of his male subjects; the awesome sartorial choices; the vibrant, defiant, beauty of the female subjects; and the uninhibited sweetness of the couples.

Sidibé found his young subjects at their frequent haunts – concerts, nightclubs, beaches and sporting events, where music played a strong role.  The social and cultural change that was spreading all over the world in the 50s, 60s and 70s had permeated West Africa and Sibidé was there to capture a new freedom in the Malian youth:

"We were entering a new era, and people wanted to dance," Sidibé once said in the Guardian. "Music freed us. Suddenly, young men could get close to young women, hold them in their hands. Before, it was not allowed. And everyone wanted to be photographed dancing up close. They had to see it!"

According to the Jack Shainman gallery, “Sidibé’s work documents a transitional moment as Mali gained its independence and transformed from a French colony steeped in tradition to a more modern independent country looking toward the West.”

While music greatly influenced his work, his photography was a huge influence on Janet Jackson’s 1997 “Got ‘til it’s Gone” video, directed by Mark Romanek.  In the video, Jackson portrays a lounge singer in apartheid South Africa, many of the scenes in the video look like they are pulled straight from a Sibide photography.  The visually stunning video won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form.

Sibidé’s work has also inspired other artists, including Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop and Bamakois singer and songwriter Inna Modja.

Sibidé was a transformative, influential contributor to photography, deeply respected and highly honored.  He brought the world’s attention to the richness of a changing African culture, with some traditions still intact. 

 Museums with Sibidé’s work among their permanent collections include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania; The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) of Jean Pigozzi, Geneva; J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL; Studio Museum in Harlem (New York); High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; International Center of Photography, New York; and the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, to name a few.

Malick Sidibé

Sibedé was represented by the Jack Shainman Gallery from 2008 until his death in 2016 around the age of 80.

Brandon Maxwell fall 2017 ready-to-wear

Everything about Brandon Maxwell's fall 2017 ready-to-wear collection exudes all out sexy glamour, which is right up my alley.

The looks are bold, womanly and sophisticated.  I loved the sensual movement of the fabrics, the use of leather, fur and crystals.  I also loved the structure of the pieces - the bold shoulders, strategic cut outs and exaggerated sleeves.

My favorites - the absolutely fabulous jade fur; the pony hair, thigh baring ball skirt; a wine colored bell-sleeved sweater; and a bold, but sweet flouncy leather mini dress.

See all the looks at vogue.com.

All images courtesy of vogue.com.

Marc Jacobs' ode to hip hop origins

Fresh off the brouhaha over his use of faux locs on a primarily white cast of models in his last collection (which didn’t bother me), and his tone deaf response to criticism by referencing black women straightening their hair (which did bother me…a lot), Marc Jacobs showed his fall 2017 collection at the finale of New York Fashion Week, calling it an ode to hip hop…

Le sigh...

I thought to myself, here we go again…but I decided to give the collection, he titled "Respect," a look.  I could see hints of the mid-70s and early 80s era of hip hop, the fur collared coats, kangol-esque caps, sunglasses that resembled Gazelles, and of course the gold chains and oversized hoop earrings.

Jacobs said he was inspired by a Netflix documentary, “The Evolution of Hip Hop,” which traces the beginnings and growth of hip hop from the 1970s through the 1990s.  It was a time when Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run DMC, DJ Kool Herc, etc. were emerging as well as a new style that would influence generations to come.  It was an aesthetic that came easy to young black and Latino kids on the streets of New York.  It somehow felt too forced, too polished on Jacobs’ runway.

He added that he also drew inspiration from the “liveliness of the streets of New York.”

That street style quality is one thing that I like about the collection.  The coats, the textures and knits used, even the accessories alluded to that urban feel. 

Many pieces in the collection had the feel of a 1970s Blaxploitation film – think Shaft, Cleopatra Jones, Car Wash, Super Fly, etc.

According to vogue.com, Jacobs said, “As a born and bred New Yorker, it was during my time at the High School of Art and Design when I began to see and feel the influence of hip-hop on other music as well as art and style. This collection is my representation of the well-studied dressing up of casual sportswear. It is an acknowledgement and gesture of my respect for the polish and consideration applied to fashion from a generation that will forever be the foundation of youth culture street style.”

The references are all there.  His use of velvet, velour, denim, and corduroy are reminiscent of the era and those early founders, as are the oversized skullies, bell bottom track pants, corduroy jackets, and platform brogues.

But there was an almost cartoonish quality of the collection with the oversized skull caps, high crown caps, and over accessorizing.  Like one Dazed reviewer, I thought instantly of classic Saturday morning cartoons “Fat Albert” and the “Jackson Five.” 

It seemed a bit of a parody of the culture, which instantly made me roll my eyes. I thought more Jamiroquai than hip hop when I viewed the collection.

With Jacobs, I did understand where he was coming from, as my parents, aunts and uncles, and big sister are all of the referenced era, as I eventually inherited the culture he is drawing upon.  I got the 70s references, the traces of the hip hop culture and for some reason, I got that he may have been apologizing or at least acknowledging the earlier social media scuffle surrounding his words about black women.  I respect that.

I also give kudos to Jacobs for adding more melanin to his cast.  Twenty brown girls of all shades walked in a collection of 43 looks.  Perhaps it was a response to the criticism of his spring 2017 show, but it felt good to see a collection centered on hip hop that actually featured models of color.

The collection can be viewed at vogue.com.