Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style

I am so sorry for being behind in posts, but the holiday stunk up on me! Fear not, as this fabulous exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art - Jacqueline de Ribes The Art of Style is on view until February 21, 2016. This is the second exhibit in the Costume Institute, and the last to be curated by Harold Koda. 

Here is some background from the Met's website on this very glamorous lady: 

Countess Jacqueline de Ribes (born 1929 in Paris to aristocratic parents) is seen by many as the ultimate personification of Parisian elegance. She was, with the American and Italian beauties Gloria Vanderbilt and Marella Agnelli, among the small flock of “Swans” photographed by Richard Avedon and written about by Truman Capote in 1959. 

Married at age 19 to Édouard, Vicomte de Ribes (he became the Count de Ribes upon the death of his father in 1981), the traditions of her in-laws precluded her from becoming a career woman. An independent spirit, she channeled her creativity into a series of ventures linked by fashion, theater, and style. In 1956, de Ribes was nominated for Eleanor Lambert’s Best-Dressed List. At the time, she had only a handful of couture dresses, as most of her wardrobe was comprised of her own designs, which she made herself or with a dressmaker. Four more nominations followed, and resulted in her induction into the International Best-Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1962. 

This exhibit is really such a treat for anyone who loves fashion. I would highly suggest anyone to run and see it before it closes in February. You will not be at the least disappointed.  

Watch for the second installment of this exhibit for the ball gowns which are to die for! I am also working on a separate post with her fabulous quotes. They are for sure the kind you wish to cut out and stick to your fridge! 

Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style 

open until February 21, 2016

Metropolitan Museum of Art 

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Gilded New York at the Museum of the City of New York

Michele Gordigiani, “Cornelia Ward Hall and Her Children,” 1880 • Oil on canvas • Museum of the City of New York, Bequest of Mrs. Martha Hall Barrett, 61.155.1

I am quite excited to share this information with you about a fabulous upcoming exhibit. The Gilded Age in New York City, opening November 13th at The Museum of the City of New York. The Gilded Age is somewhat of a huge fascination of mine, and in New York City during that time, it was quite spectacular. A time of great wealth with men so well known today by their last names: Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Morgan, Frick, Clark, Astor. The opera, theatre, and lavish parties were the favorite choices for the wealthy in New York City. While the rich wore diamonds and furs, the poor were not so lucky. In 1890, 11 million of the nation's 12 million families earned less than $1,200.00 per year, of this group, the average annual income was $380.00, well below poverty. I watched a documentary on the history channel titled The Men Who Built America, and they talked about how JP Morgan lent money to the government to keep it afloat. He had that much available to him, can you even imagine what they must have been like? 

Here is some information and a few photos from the "not-to-be-missed" exhibit: 

Explore the visual culture of elite New York in the late-19th and early- 20th centuries.

Inaugurating the Museum’s Tiffany & Co. Foundation Gallery, Gilded New York explores the city’s visual culture at the end of the 19th century, when its elite class flaunted their money as never before. In New York, this era was marked by the sudden rise of industrial and corporate wealth, amassed by such titans as Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould, who expressed their high status through extravagant fashions, architecture, and interior design. The exhibition presents a lavish display of some 100 works, including costumes, jewelry, portraits, and decorative objects, all created between the mid-1870s and the early 20th century. The dazzling works in the exhibition will illuminate an era when members of the new American aristocracy often displayed their wealth in storied balls in Fifth Avenue mansions and hotels. It was a time when New York became the nation’s corporate headquarters and a popular Ladies’ Mile of luxury retail establishments and cultural institutions helped launch the city to global prominence.

Fancy dress costume by Maison Worth representing “Electric Light,” 1883 • Worn by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II to the Vanderbilt Ball • Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Countess Laszlo Szechenyi, 51.284.3

Folding fan by Duvelleroy, c. 1900 • Painted silk, feathers, mother-of-pearl • Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Mrs. William Warner Hoppin, 48.314.15

Tiffany & Co., Pendant brooch, ca. 1900 • Platinum, diamond, sapphire • Museum of the City of New York, Bequest of Mrs. V. S. Young, 82.163.1

Satin damask wedding gown by Maison Worth, 1878 • Worn by Annie Schermerhorn • Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Miss Fannie M. Cottenet, 32.249A-B

Marcus & Co., Necklace, 1900 • Gold, natural pearls, demantoid garnet, enamel • Courtesy of Siegelson, New York

Museum of City of New York

1220 Fifth Avenue (at 103rd Street)

New York, NY 10029

212-534-1672

info@mcny.org

The Museum and Museum Store are open seven days a week from 10:00 am–6:00 pm.

Chalsty’s Café is open daily from 10:00 am–5:00 pm.

Suggested Admission
Adults: $10
Seniors, students: $6 (with I.D.)
Families: $20 (max. 2 adults)
Children 12 and under: free
Members: free

The Museum is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

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