The couture wardrobe of an accomplished American style-setter has its premier showing at the Phoenix Art Museum through May 29.
Highlights of the exhibit, curated by the great Dennita Sewell, include super-glam Balenciaga gowns, austere and elegant Givenchy eveningwear, swooping skirts by Charles James, and superbly draped gowns by Mme. Gres.
Come with me to meet Ann, enjoy her style, and encounter her custom-crafted wardrobe, made for her by masters of twentieth-century fashion.
Ann Bonfoey Taylor, 1910-2007, lived a hard-working, focused, cosmopolitan, life of adventure.
An accomplished aviatrix, Olympic ski champion, skiwear designer, business woman, she overcame early obstacles with determination, and later traveled extensively with her businessman husband, Vernon Taylor, Jnr. who followed in his father’s footsteps in the oil business.
If you’ve never hear of Ann Bonfoey Taylor (she was named one of Harper’s Bazaar’s One Hundred Great Beauties of the World in 1967), simply flick through treasured copies of 1960s and 1970s Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Taylor was also a fixture of Town & Country, and was often photographed by Slim Aarons, Toni Frissell and Bob Richardson.
Well into her eighties, whether she was in Denver, Vail, Montana or abroad, Ann continued to practice a discipline of daily exercise and skiing until the very end of her life.
You are in for a surprise here.
You might think I’m rather fixated on Cristobal Balenciaga when you read this story. I’ve written about three Balenciaga exhibits recently. See my March 2011 report on the gala opening night of ‘Balenciaga and Spain’ currently as the de Young Museum in San Francisco in THE STYLE SALONISTE archive.
Ann Bonfoey Taylor’s collection features hacking jackets by Savile Row tailors and Hermes. Her first glorious and sumptuous couture dresses were by Balenciaga. You’ll also see blazingly beautiful dresses by Givenchy, and subtle gowns by Madame Gres.
‘Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor. Couture Originals Created by Legendary Designers’
This fashion design exhibition exclusive to Phoenix Art Museum opens the closet of an acclaimed American tastemaker to reveal an extraordinary wardrobe of custom-made couture and personally designed sporting ensembles, along with Hermes tweed jackets, chic skiwear, custom-designed fur jackets (for Montana winters), and Charles James gowns. With their classic lines and simplicity, any of them could be worn today. They transcend ‘vintage’.
 |
| Balenciaga |
 |
| Balenciaga |
 |
| Balenciaga |
“She was so chic. Women like this plotted my course in life. She has such an enormous influence on me, from just one article in Vogue.”—Ralph Rucci
Cristobal Balenciaga was one of Taylor’s favorite couturiers. The secret to her style: luscious plain silks and wool fbrics, the simplest and purest lines, and flattering silhouettes that would look chic for decades to come.
“When I saw you in Paris, I thought you were the best-turned out woman I’d seen for many years in Paris.” — Excerpt from a 1971 letter to Ann Bonfoey Taylor from Diana Vreeland, editor-in-chief of Vogue.
 |
| Givenchy |
 |
| Givenchy |
 |
| Givenchy |
 |
| Givenchy |
 |
| Givenchy |
“Ann Bonfoey Taylor did not know that her clothes were going to be in a museum. She saved them because she loved them and had a deep appreciation of their design and construction.
When selecting Taylor’s ensembles for this museum’s collection, very little editing was done. Her personal wardrobe was very well edited. Each piece was carefully considered and intended for long-term use. Cohesive in style and color, her choices feature minimalist designs in a palette of black, gray and pastels, accented with bright jewel tones for evening.
Ann’s extraordinary personal drive led her to become a woman of impressive character, and it was through her strong sense of self that her distinctive style emerged.”
—curator Dennita Sewell
“For me, Mrs. Taylor was a friend and the ideal client to dress—her kindness and friendship were more than warm. She knew perfectly well what suited her and was able to adapt my new pieces, with a sense of rigor, to her personal style. One cannot be indifferent to the beauty of the Taylors as a couple. Tall, athletic, and full of distinction, they made the most surprising and spectacular pair.” — Hubert de Givenchy
 |
| Charles James |
 |
| Balenciaga |
In 2008, the wardrobe of socialite, designer, and sportswoman Ann Bonfoey Taylor's was gifted to the Museum by the Taylor family.
Collected over thirty years, her wardrobe included a rich archive of works by the most masterful fashion designers of the 1940s through the 1970s including James Galanos, Charles James, Madame Grès, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Fortuny.
Raised in Quincy, Illinois, Taylor had a passion for sports and adventure at an early age. At six years old her father took her flying in his open, two-seater biplane and later taught her to fly it. When World War II broke out, she became a flight instructor for Army and Navy pilots. In the 1930s, she was a competitive tennis player, and an alternate on the Women's Olympic Ski Team. Complimented for her stylish look on the ski slopes, she started her own line of innovative skiwear, which was sold at Lord & Taylor.
In 1947, she married Vernon Taylor, Jr. and they established residences in Denver, Colorado, where they raised their family. With her love of the outdoors, Taylor developed a passion for horses and each year fox hunted in Virginia and England.
The Taylors also built one of the first ski chalets in Vail. They maintained a cattle ranch in Montana where Taylor was known as a gracious and elegant hostess to her worldwide circle of friends.
Exhibition Overview
Features more than sixty full ensembles, including thirteen Balenciaga suits and evening gowns; a wide range of apparel from the 1940s and 50s by Charles James; two iconic dresses by Fortuny; Givenchy cocktail dresses, coats and accessories, and rare, spectacular designs by Madame Grès,
“Elaborate beading, embellishment and flounces and embroidery were unnecessary: a woman of Taylor’s poise did not require bolstering from such ornamentation.” — Curator Dennita Sewell
Exhibition Overview
Features more than sixty full ensembles, including thirteen Balenciaga suits and evening gowns; a wide range of apparel from the 1940s and 50s by Charles James; two iconic dresses by Fortuny; Givenchy cocktail dresses, coats and accessories, and rare, spectacular designs by Madame Grès,
‘Fashion Independent’ is significant due to the depth and quality of the designs and artists.
Large-scale photographs of Taylor taken by noted fashion photographer Toni Frissell and a short documentary film enhance this extremely engaging exhibition.
This exhibition is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and is presented in Steele Gallery through May 29, 2011.
About the Fashion Design Collection
Founded in 1966, Phoenix Art Museum's fashion design collection is notable for its quality and comprehensiveness and is comprised of more than 5,000 objects of American and European men's, women's and children's dress and accessories dating from the late 17th century to the present. The Museum organizes three exhibitions a year in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Gallery featuring objects from the permanent collection as well as international fashion houses, collectors and museums.
This exhibition is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and is presented in Steele Gallery through May 29, 2011.
About the Fashion Design Collection
Founded in 1966, Phoenix Art Museum's fashion design collection is notable for its quality and comprehensiveness and is comprised of more than 5,000 objects of American and European men's, women's and children's dress and accessories dating from the late 17th century to the present. The Museum organizes three exhibitions a year in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Gallery featuring objects from the permanent collection as well as international fashion houses, collectors and museums.
 |
| Curator Dennita Sewell |
Madame Gres was one of Taylor’s last discoveries—and among her favorites.
 |
| Madame Gres |
 | |
|
 | |
|
 | |
|
Art and Antiques magazine named the Ann Bonfoey Taylor couture wardrobe, donated to the Phoenix Art Museum, one of the top 100 art museum gifts in 2008.
An outstanding 144-page book/catalog, ‘Fashion Independent, The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylo, has been published by the museum It has an excellent introduction by the show’s curator, Dennita Sewell. Extensive photographs include a lifetime of chic images from the albums of Taylor herself (including her Vuitton luggage, which was donated to the museum, along with her hunting jackets and couture gowns), and tributes by the women who fitted her dresses at the couture houses.
Lectures
On May 25, Hamish Bowles will speak on Cristobal Balenciaga at the museum.
About Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Art Museum is the Southwest's premier destination for world-class visual arts. Popular international exhibitions are shown along side the Museum's outstanding collection of more than 18,000 works of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design.
Phoenix Art Museum is located in downtown Phoenix at the corner of Central and McDowell Road
To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit www.PhxArt.org, or call the 24-hour recorded information line at (602) 257-1222.
PHOTO CREDITS:
All photographs courtesy of the Phoenix Art Museum, presented here with express permission.
Photographs of Anny Bonfoey Taylor by Toni Frissell and Ken Howie. All photographs courtesy of Phoenix Art Museum and the Library of Congress, presented here with express permission.
All photographs courtesy of the Phoenix Art Museum, presented here with express permission.
Photographs of Anny Bonfoey Taylor by Toni Frissell and Ken Howie. All photographs courtesy of Phoenix Art Museum and the Library of Congress, presented here with express permission.
