American Beauty (review)

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is justifiably well known for its visually stunning, scholarly exhibitions and companion books. This volume, companion to the recent exhibit "American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion," does not disappoint readers who left the exhibit wanting more or who were too far from New York to see it.

Exhibit curator and author Patricia Mears features 75 garments, selected to illustrate the range of design and construction elements, rather than to convey an historical narrative. The designers include legendary names (Claire McCardell, Bonnie Cashin), nearly forgotten giants (Jesse Franklin Turner, Elizabeth Hawes) and emerging stars (the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte, Epperson). Mears made the adventurous decision to engage the viewer in a sophisticated visual and material culture analysis of American fashion, examining the garments not only as finished objects, but also as evidence of the design process. She argues, quite persuasively, that American fashion was driven by dressmaking (as opposed to tailoring) before World War II and that the dressmaker's skills continue to play a significant role in American fashion innovation.

In American Beauty, Mears is able to illustrate her argument with beautiful examples from the exhibit, 120 of them in color. Because this is a large format book, (10" by 13") and so many of the images are full-page, the close-up images of garments are particularly effective. The reader has a much better view of the Rodarte steam dyed silk tulle and black mohair yarn evening gown (166-167) than a museum visitor could have enjoyed.

FIT deputy director Mears is the author of Madame Grès: Sphinx of Fashion (Yale, 2007) and coauthor (with Valerie Steele and Clare Sauro) of Ralph Ricci: The Art of Weightlessness (2007). American Beauty is equally valuable for serious students of fashion design. Her exhibitions and published works are insightful and demonstrate a deep understanding of fashion as art and craft. The major drawbacks of this volume may not be the author's fault: there are no page numbers after 154, and no index.