“Contemporary Muslim Fashions” Exhibit Preview Party at the de Young Museum
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Drew Altizer
Photo by Joanna Garcia Cheran
Photo by Joanna Garcia Cheran
Fashion designers, style bloggers, couture collectors and artists arrived at the de Young Museum on Friday, September 21, for the opening preview party for “Contemporary Muslim Fashions,” a global overview of leading Muslim designers and their sartorial creations. The show, which comprises 80 outfits including athletic wear and sportswear, was curated by Jill D’Alessandro and Laura Camerlengo. Max Hollein, the former director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (and current Metropolitan Museum of Art director), initiated the concept more than two years ago.
Guests and their entourages wore their colorful interpretations of Muslim fashions, including orange silk turbans and vivid kaftans. Faiza Bouguessa, a Dubai-based designer, wore her black silk organza couture kaftan over narrow black silk pants. Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz from Saudi Arabia, the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia, was wearing a blue Esteban Cortezar cotton twill coat over a bouffant-skirted silver brocade gown by Australian designer Toni Maticevski, whose couture work is featured in the show. “This kind of exhibit has never been done in a major museum before, so it’s very exciting,” she said. “You can see for the first time that Muslim women’s dress today is about creativity and self-expression. Yes, it is modest, and it can be joyful and beautiful.”
Many of the designers had flown in from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia and Japan to view their outfits on exhibit. Museum patron Barbara Brown loved the elaborate and colorful Paris couture wedding gowns on display, and Allison Spear admired the chic black-and-white silk outfits that welcome you to the exhibition. Other compelling looks featured in the show included a full-length gown and tunic white hoodie praying ensemble in silk crepe with rhinestone embroideries by Datin Haslinda Abdul Rahim for Blancheur (Malaysia); and a black evening gown, turban and silk-crepe shawl with sequin and feather embellishments designed for Modanisa by Rasit Bagzibagli (Turkey). Itang Yunasz of Indonesia designed a black-and-white evening ensemble of silk satin and embroidered silk twill, which was crafted using traditional ikat weaving techniques. Also highlighted in the show: Nike’s athletic hijab and Australian surf lifesaver women’s squad burkinis.
“Contemporary Muslim Fashions,” whose exhibition space was designed by New York architecture firm Hariri & Hariri, is on view through January 6.
Written by Diane Dorrans Saeks
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