GALA FOR DE LA RENTA ARTISTRY
Among a subset of art snobs, there are those who like to snipe that fashion design isn’t high-minded enough to star in a museum exhibition. These arbiters argue that this type of show is merely attendance bait for museums.
That view was broached last week at the de Young Museum during a black-tie gala celebrating the Fine Arts Museums’ world premiere of “Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective.”
“I’m always surprised when people proclaim that fashion isn’t art,” noted PR man Dick Weaver, who flew up from Los Angeles for the fete. “Because if you really examine the craftsmanship required to make these collections, you’d understand that for designers like Oscar de la Renta, creating these kinds of gowns is like making a feature film.”
And it was a big-screen kind of evening for 350 swells who alighted from all corners of the country to pay tribute to the exquisite designs and elegant esprit of Oscar de la Renta.
Led by Fine Arts Museums Board President Dede Wilsey and honorary chairwoman Annette de la Renta, the late designer’s widow, this elegant, invitation-only affair also raised funds for FAM exhibition programs.
“I think Oscar must be laughing himself silly at the moment,” said Wilsey of her friend, whom she met at an early fashion show in 1963. “Because never have there been so many Oscar dresses in the same space in one evening.”
What was supposed to be a proper receiving line turned into paparazzi heaven as cameras flashed on arriving guests whose sparkling gowns were filled with such exquisite ODLR details as tulle, feathers and trains.
Once folks finally made it downstairs, they were wowed by thematically organized galleries (Spanish, Russian, Garden) curated by famed fashion journalist André Leon
Talley, a decades-long friend of the designer. “Beginning with the era of ‘Plastic Fantastic,’ Oscar understood how to adapt the fashion moment,” explained Talley, resplendent in a regal red kimono. “His craftsmanship was such that when one of his skirts walked through a room, you could hear it.”
Company CEO Alex Bolen said touring the exhibition was emotional. Both his wife, Eliza Bolen (stepdaughter of the late designer and an Oscar de la Renta VP), and Talley were in tears.
“What André has done with this retrospective is a great triumph. The thing that is really spectacular is how it captures the joy that Oscar brought to his work, and the joy Oscar brought to life,” said Bolen. “You don’t have to be a student of fashion or understand the finer points of an empire waist. But when you see a cloud of Oscar’s mintgreen tulle, you can’t help but smile.”
Among those smiling: dashing ODLR exec Boaz Mazor and new ODLR designer Peter Copping; exhibition sponsors Cynthia and John Gunn, Edith and Joe Tobin, Lisa and Doug Goldman, Yurie and Carl Pascarella, Heidi Carey, Jessica and J Hickingbotham, Denise Fitch, Komal Shah and Gaurav Garg, Mary Beth and David Shimmon, Stephanie and Jim Marver, Lucy and Bill Hamilton, Carole McNeil and her daughter, Denise Ivory; along with Patsy and Jim Ludwig; Barbara Brown; Alexis and Trevor Traina; Vanessa Getty; Dolph Andrews; Katie and Todd Traina; FAM Textiles curator Jill D’Alessandro and interim FAM Director Richard Benefield.
Lovely live-wire Lynn Wyatt, here from Houston, loaned three pieces to the exhibition.
“Every gallery is a beautiful surprise. The breadth of Oscar’s talent is extraordinary,” she enthused. “Tonight I’m wearing a favorite Oscar. But now I wear Peter Copping, too. He created a gorgeous white lace dress for my birthday. What I love about Peter is his designs reflect the spirit of Oscar but are expressed in his own creative vision.”
Another fantastical vision was inside the de Young’s tented courtyard: Ideas event designer Riccardo Bena
vides grew a gorgeous magical “garden” — an homage to de la Renta’s lush Connectict lawns. The scene burst with blooms, oversize urns and pink-and-green banquettes.
Gala speeches were mercifully few as guests dug into a divine McCall’s four-course dinner, which was joyfully interrupted by band Mariachi Mexicanisimo.
Fortunately the space was large enough to accommodate four ladies who unknowingly all wore the exact same gown — a fantastically femme black lace and ribbontrimmed Copping creation.
Wilsey joked that she will prevent this mishap in the future by creating a tech startup to track which Oscar gowns have been sold to whom. But she got serious when speaking about fashion — and the inevitable criticism she’ll receive for presenting more such exhibitions at the de Young.
“When that happens, I’ll recall the words of Pierre Bergé as we organized the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective here. I asked Pierre if he thought fashion was art. He said he didn’t know, but he knew that Yves was an artist,” said Wilsey. “And after you wander this exhibition’s galleries, you’ll know that Oscar was an artist, too.”
Catherine Bigelow is The San Francisco Chronicle’s society correspondent. Email: missbigelow@sfgate.com