Fashioning San Francisco provides a powerful look at the sartorial and cultural history of the Bay Area.
Sobia Shaikh wears Dolce Gabanna couture (her own) and CAST Jewelry at the de Young Museum.
It’s not a stretch to say that Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style, an expansive exhibit at the de Young, reveals the flex of the Bay Area’s women. This is more than a show about pretty things and exquisite fabrics; it’s a visual testament to the many ways fashion makes and reflects society.
Laura L. Camerlengo, the curator in charge of costume and textile arts at the Fine Arts Museums, uses the exhibit’s section devoted to women’s suits as an example of fashion’s ability to announce status. In the show, “we address how the suit became a practical part of women’s wardrobes as [they] entered the workforce in larger numbers in the 20th century,” she says.
Shaikh in Chanel (her own)
Gents have always worn suits to convey power. Camerlengo says many of the suits in the exhibit reflect the leadership roles of the Bay Area women who wore them, from philanthropists to business and civic leaders.
And then there’s the lavish couture. These are the pieces everyone comes to see—works from 50 fashion houses, from Valentino to McQueen to Bay Area-based designer Kaisik Wong (most are on view for the first time).
Curator Laura L. Camerlengo
“I was mesmerized,” says Sobia Shaikh (@sobiaashaikh), a Bay Area fashion influencer, about the exhibit. “Besides Christian Dior’s Venus and Junon evening gowns, one of my favorites [in the exhibit] was a machine-embroidered, white net evening dress by San Francisco-born designer Richard Tam. It was the first of Tam’s designs featured in Vogue in 1966.” Patrons gush over the breadth of the designs.
Shaikh in a Kamperett Meiere silk gown
This reaction to the show isn’t surprising to Camerlengo. “Gowns worn by San Franciscans to [galas and] events were of great local and national interest,” she says. “The press frequently documented women’s ensembles at philanthropic events or opening nights at the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet. As Life magazine proclaimed in 1952, an ‘opening night gives San Francisco a chance to get the fashion jump… and the city’s well-dressed women make the most of their chance.’”
The curator says she was delighted to learn how pivotal local manufacturers and retailers were in forging ties with the French fashion industry after World War II. “In 1947, these relationships culminated in trade agreements giving San Francisco designers and retailers exclusive access to French haute couture, such as the work of Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain,” says Camerlengo, noting that the museum’s midcentury haute couture collection is robust because of these ties.
Shaikh in Christian Dior (her own) and CAST flip ring
What does Shaikh, who has nearly 600K IG followers, think about the current state of SF fashion? “People are embracing the opportunity to showcase their unique flair when they step out,” she says. “We have an interesting variety of fashion expressions ranging from classic to experimental. And these are the aspects that contribute to the city’s distinct character.” Through Aug. 11, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., famsf.org
Photography by: TRACY EASTON; STYLED BY THERESA PALMER, A PALMER IN CALIFORNIA; SOBIA SHAIKH’S HAIR BY JARR VON SAMUEL AT ORO SALON, MAKEUP BY TIFFANI PEREZ; COURTESY OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO
