UPCOMING EVENTS
During this private, fashionable high-tea celebration, ACI will honor past ACI Presidents and Holiday Luncheon Chairs in recognition of their leadership, volunteerism, and passion for uplifting the art of fashion in our community.
Established in honor of Gail Adams Goodfarb's legacy of style, action, and education, this annual event connects ACI members and the general public with the fashion industry's most brilliant minds.
Celebrate ACI's 60th anniversary with the launch of Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion, the first Museum publication showcasing a chromatic assortment of more than 150 ensembles from the Phoenix Art Museum fashion collection.
Hosted by the Arizona Costume Institute, guests will discover the historical relevance of Phoenix Art Museum’s newest fashion ensembles and learn why these remarkable pieces are vital additions to the permanent collection. In honor of ACI’s 60th anniversary, Archivist Aspen Reynolds will share a brief presentation highlighting the ACI archives, followed by select members sharing personal stories and cherished memories from the past six decades. Join fellow members to celebrate 60 years of style, community, and support.
TICKETS: Please reserve your ticket by clicking HERE
Rick Owens is a world-famous designer known for his “darkly glamorous, post-apocalyptic take on gothic grunge.” With a career that began in the early 1990s in a community college pattern-cutting course, he is now at the pinnacle of avant-garde design. Temple of Love is the “first critical appraisal of Owens’s work, documenting the evolution of nearly three decades of the designer’s inimitable worldview.” This selection is connected to Colorwear and will highlight the work of Rick Owens, as well as other fashion-related exhibition guides, books, and magazines in the Lemon Art Research Library’s collection.
TICKETS : Free during Pay What You Wish Wednesday. Please reserve your ticket HERE and check in at the Visitor Services Desk.
Lemon Library Book Club: What We Keep
June 3, 2026 | 6:30 pm
Location: The Amphitheater inside Phoenix Art Museum
TICKETS: Free event. Please reserve your ticket and check in at the Visitor Services Desk.
June’s book of the month is What We Keep: 150 People Share the One Object that Brings Them Joy, Magic, and Meaning by Bill Shapiro and Naomi Wax. This fascinating collection offers a peek into the personal treasures of everyone from renowned writers to Shark Tank hosts, revealing the secret histories behind the things we hold dear.
Following the book club, Phoenix Art Museum’s Archivist, Aspen Reynolds, will lead a conversation on the “why” and “how” of our collections. Learn about what makes certain objects so valuable and gain insights on how to provide the best possible storage and care for your own items.
This program is intended for audiences 18 years and older.
Explore the intersection of hue and history with Curator Helen Jean. In this Curator Tour of Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion, Jean highlights prismatic treasures from the Museum’s 60-year fashion archive. From bold, avant-garde ensembles to meticulously crafted accessories, discover how color is more than just an aesthetic choice, it’s a visual language designers use to define identity and influence culture. Join the tour and see the collection in a whole new light.
Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million girls would die for.” Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace! at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, by Lauren Weisberger, gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about “The Boss from Hell.” From sending the latest, not-yet-in-stores Harry Potter to Miranda’s children in Paris by private jet, to locating an unnamed antique store where Miranda had at some point admired a vintage dresser, to serving lattes to Miranda at precisely the piping hot temperature she prefers, Andrea is sorely tested each and every day—and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get Andrea a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, however, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not the job is worth the price of her soul.
Phoenix Art Museum Amphitheater.
Monday, May 4, 2026
Location | Camello Restaurant, 2525 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85016
2:30 PM | Photos, Shopping, Luxury Raffle, and Hosted Reception
3 PM | Livestream from the Met Gala Red Carpet
Join us for a fashion-filled afternoon celebrating the Met Gala, the annual haute couture fundraising event held to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Enjoy light bites and beverages, courtesy of the new Camello Restaurant at The Esplanade, while previewing fashions, purchasing raffle tickets and posing for photos as you watch a livestream of celebrity arrivals on the red carpet. Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion, will discuss the standout fashions and share her insights on this year’s theme.
The Met’s new spring fashion exhibition is Costume Art, examines the centrality of the dressed body by juxtaposing garments and works of art from across the museum’s vast collection, creating pairings that illuminate the inseparable connection between clothing and the body, as well as the complex interplay between artistic representations of the body and fashion as an embodied art form.
Tied to the featured exhibition, the dress code for the Gala is “Fashion Art”, which invites guests to express their own relationship to fashion as a dressed art form and celebrate the countless depictions of the adorned body throughout art history.
Raffle tickets will be available for purchase until 4pm by credit card at the event:
1 raffle ticket: $20
3 raffle tickets: $40
10 raffle tickets: $100
Dress to impress! Join us dressed in your interpretation of this year’s theme for an afternoon of camaraderie, couture, and style.
Please RSVP by April 27
Active ACI members may bring one guest.
Valet parking is available in front of the restaurant, off Camelback Road. Validated parking is also available in the Esplanade Garage, off Esplanade Lane.
JOIN US FOR FIRST FRIDAY!
5:15-6:00pm
Small Talk, Big Style. Join an intimate conversation with legendary fashion designer Barbara Hulanicki and Helen Jean, Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design, discussing creativity, fashion history, and the art of dressing with attitude.
6:00-7:00pm
Mic Check. Open Mic hosted by Rashaad Thomas. An open invitation for voices, stories, and expression.
7:00-7:45pm
Serve Your Look. Guests are invited to step onto the runway in a fast-paced fashion “serve off,” where bold outfits, big energy, and confident walks compete for the evening’s top honors.
Create your own fashion vision board. With Cut + Paste , create collage inspired by iconic fashion imagery—mix silhouettes, textures, and trends to imagine your next unforgettable look.
Sketch the runway. Sketch from live models alongside Sketchclub Cafe (sketchclubcafe)
Strike a pose. Step into a fashion-forward photo moment with Orlando Pelagio & learn the art of the perfect pose for the camera.
Make a mini book with us! Great stories deserve a little adventure.
Meet & Greet. Meet members of Arizona Costume Institute. Learn about their mission to preserve, support and celebrate the fashion collection at Phoenix Art Museum. (@azcostumeinstitue)
Soundtrack your style. Join DJ JME LEE with live music all evening
Drinks by ARTenders
Bites with Charcute Mobile
COME DRESSED TO EXPRESS!
Join fellow ACI members as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Phoenix Art Museum’s fashion collection with a chromatic celebration of colorful ensembles and whimsical accessories in Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion.
Arranged across a runway of vibrant hues, this exhibition reveals how North American and European designers, including Hubert de Givenchy, Olivier Lapidus, Tina Leser and Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, have used color as a source of inspiration. In addition to luscious gowns and sparkling dresses, the exhibition features some of the smallest and most extraordinary objects in the Museum’s fashion holdings, such as Judith Leiber pillboxes encased in multihued crystals, psychedelic scarves, and shoes that evoke the golden tones of an Egyptian burial or the bold explosion of graffiti paint. From couture to ready-to-wear, Colorwear immerses you in the power of color as storytelling, mood, and creative expression. Alongside the kaleidoscopic array of Colorwear, visitors can also discover objects that tell the history of fashion at PhxArt, from historic accessories to rare and avant-garde examples from the archival collections, and new acquisitions by contemporary designers such as The Son of Picasso, a Native American artist of Kiowa, Taos Pueblo, Diné (Navajo), and Delaware descent.
This riotous celebration of color continues throughout the year with rotating ensembles and an upcoming catalogue that features contributions from fashion historians and Dressed: The History of Fashion podcast hosts April Calahan and Cassidy Zachary.
ACI Members are invited to join us in your favorite colorful and accessorized ensembles!
WHEN:
Tuesday, April 21
4:30 to 6:30 pm Reception | Light bites and no-host bar | Exhibition Viewing
5:00 pm Remarks | Great Hall South
Jeremy Mikolajczak, The Sybil Harrington Director & CEO
Helen Jean, Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion
WHERE:
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Exhibition Credits:
Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion at Phoenix Art Museum, and Summer Rye, Fashion Curatorial Assistant & ACI Liaison.
The exhibition is made possible through the generosity of Jacquie and Bennett Dorrance and Arizona Costume Institute.
All fashion exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by The Kelly Ellman Fashion Endowment Fund and The Thomas Carlton Rogers II Fashion Exhibition Fund.
All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Photo Credits:
Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, Bodysuit with wrap skirt, 1975–2000. Polyester stretch mesh with sequin embroidery; dyed silk chiffon. Gift of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo: Dan Vermillion
Book Box Workshop
April 3, 2026 | 5PM - 6PM
Gene and Cathie Lemon Art Research Library
Every book tells a story, but time, dust, and light can fade the narrative. Join us during April’s First Friday at PhxArt to discover the secrets of book preservation and conservation.
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll examine late-1800s volumes from the Museum's Astaire Fashion collection to learn how experts protect history. Then, take home the professional supplies needed to construct a custom box for your own treasured books. This activity is intended for ages 16+ and tickets are complimentary. Space is limited, reserve your seat today!
This workshop is provided with the support of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation.
Arizona Costume Institute invites you to an engaging presentation and lecture with Valerie Steele, director, chief fashion curator and author. Discover her acclaimed exhibitions at the F.I.T Museum and hear insights from her work with iconic fashion designers, retrospective collections, and decades of curating noteworthy fashion exhibitions.
About Valerie Steele
Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, has organized more than 25 exhibitions since 1997, including The Corset: Fashioning the Body; London Fashion; Gothic: Dark Glamour; A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk; Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color; Paris, Capital of Fashion; and Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis.
She is also the author or editor of more than 30 books with global translations, including Paris Fashion, Women of Fashion, Fetish: Fashion, Sex and Power, The Corset, The Berg Companion to Fashion, and Fashion Designers A-Z: The Collection of The Museum at FIT. Additionally, she is founder and editor in chief of Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, the first scholarly journal in fashion studies.
Steele rigorous scholarship, including a Yale Ph.D., with a rare talent for engaging broad audiences. As an author, curator, editor, and public intellectual, Valerie Steele has helped shape modern fashion studies and highlight fashion’s cultural significance. She has appeared on many television programs, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Undressed: The Story of Fashion. Described in The Washington Post as one of “fashion’s brainiest women” and as “The Freud of Fashion” by Suzy Menkes, Valerie has been listed as one of “The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry” in the Business of Fashion 500 (2014 to the present).
Friday, February 13, 2026
5:30 pm - Hosted beverages
6 pm - Valerie Steele Lecture + Q&A
Premier Seating: $30 for ACI Members* and $40 for Non-Members.
$15 tickets for Students with current school I.D. Reserve your seat in advance. Entrance will be provided at event check-in with I.D.
Purchase your ticket by Monday, February 9.
This lecture is open to the Public. To guarantee a seat, tickets must be purchased in advance.
Arizona Costume Institute invites you to a brunch and intimate conversation with director, chief fashion curator and author, Valerie Steele. A renowned fashion historian, Steele will discuss her recent book which draws on key psychoanalytic concepts about the body, sexuality and the unconscious to interpret the work of designers such as Schiaparelli, Versace and McQueen. She will detail objects in FIT's collection, including significant garments and the stories behind acquiring and presenting them.
About Valerie Steele
Valerie Steele is director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she has organized more than 25 exhibitions since 1997, including The Corset: Fashioning the Body, London Fashion, Gothic: Dark Glamour; A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk, Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color and Paris, Capital of Fashion, Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis.
She is also the author or editor of more than 30 books, including Paris Fashion, Women of Fashion, Fetish: Fashion, Sex and Power, The Corset, The Berg Companion to Fashion, and. Fashion Designers A-Z: The Collection of The Museum at FIT. Her books have been translated into Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. In addition, she is founder and editor in chief of Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, the first scholarly journal in Fashion Studies.
Steele combines serious scholarship (and a Yale Ph.D.) with the rare ability to communicate with general audiences. As author, curator, editor, and public intellectual, Valerie Steele has been instrumental in creating the modern field of fashion studies and in raising awareness of the cultural significance of fashion. She has appeared on many television programs, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Undressed: The Story of Fashion. Described in The Washington Post as one of “fashion’s brainiest women” and by Suzy Menkes as “The Freud of Fashion,” she was listed as one of “The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry” in the Business of Fashion 500: (2014 to the present).
Friday, February 13, 2026
10:30 am // Champagne & Brunch
11:00 am // Conversation with Valerie Steele + Q&A
Hosted at a Private Residence; Address will be provided with RSVP. Valet Parking will be available.
Seating is limited; ACI members only.
This event is sold out. We welcome you to join us for the Valerie Steele lecture at 5:30. Reserve your tickets on the event listing detailed below this event.
The Museum Store will feature Valerie’s latest book, Dress, Dreams, and Desire: A History of Fashion and Psychoanalysis. Valerie will be signing a limited number of copies. PhxArt Museum Members will receive a 10% discount after signing in with your primary email address. Purchase your signed or unsigned copy below.
*An active ACI Membership at the Style Icon, Avant-Garde and Haute Couture levels is required to RSVP
To learn about your membership status or to upgrade your membership level contact support-aci@phxart.org or 602-307-2011.
Join us for an insightful session featuring Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion, who will share more about recent additions to the Phoenix Art Museum Fashion Collection. Helen will discuss the criteria and motivations behind the assessment of these new works as integral parts of the permanent collection.
This event will also highlight the "wish list" items for future acquisitions into the collection, providing you with an opportunity to learn how your Membership and support of the ACI Holiday Luncheon are vital for enhancing and expanding the Museum's outstanding holdings.
Don't miss this chance to engage with fellow ACI Members, deepen your understanding of fashion curation, and contribute to the growth of an invaluable cultural resource. We look forward to seeing you there!
RSVP by October 10. We regret we cannot accommodate additional guests for lunch after that date.
This event is for ACI Members, and Members may invite 1 guest. Ticket includes a gourmet lunchbox of a half sandwich and a side salad, chips, and an iced beverage.
ACI Members: $25 /// Guests: $40
The Arizona Costume Institute invites you to join us in a final celebration of The World of Anna Sui, closing September 28, 2025. Join us for an evening of music, no-host cocktails, and delicious bites, all while mingling with fellow fashion enthusiasts.
To add to the excitement, we encourage you to dress in your favorite Anna Sui archetype for a chance to win! Choose from the following looks: Rock & Roll, Cowgirls, Hippie Chicks, or Hula Girls. Winners will be announced at 6 pm.
Additionally, PhxArt Docents will be present in Steele Gallery from 5:30 to 7:30 pm to answer any questions and share more insights into the exhibition.
As a Member of ACI, you are welcomed to attend this event and invite one guest.
Please reserve your tickets here: TICKETS
Be sure to reply by Thursday, September 4, as we cannot accept additional reservations after this date. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Image Credits: Americana, S/S 2017, image courtesy of Anna Sui
Gods and Kings
September 3, 2025 | 6:30 pm Amphitheater inside Phoenix Art Museum
A double biography on two of the 1990’s most luminous fashion icons—Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. Selection inspired by the PhxArt Fashion Collection
TICKETS: Complimentary event. Please reserve your ticket below and check in at the Visitor Services Desk.
JOIN ARIZONA COSTUME INSTITUTE FOR A LAST LOOK AT
THE WORLD OF ANNA SUI EXHIBITION
Thursday, September 11
5:00 pm // Reception
5:30 pm // Remarks by Helen Jean, Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion
South Great Hall
The Arizona Costume Institute invites you to join us in a final celebration of The World of Anna Sui, closing September 28, 2025. Join us for an evening of music, no-host cocktails, and delicious bites, all while mingling with fellow fashion enthusiasts.
To add to the excitement, we encourage you to dress in your favorite Anna Sui archetype for a chance to win! Choose from the following looks: Rock & Roll, Cowgirls, Hippie Chicks, or Hula Girls. Winners will be announced at 6 pm.
Additionally, PhxArt Docents will be present in Steele Gallery from 5:30 to 7:30 pm to answer any questions and share more insights into the exhibition.
As a Member of ACI, you are welcomed to attend this event and invite one guest.
Please reserve your tickets here: TICKETS
Be sure to reply by Thursday, September 4, as we cannot accept additional reservations after this date. We look forward to celebrating with you!
The 2025-26 ACI Board is busy planning the fall schedule—check back here soon to learn more!
Fashion’s Biggest Night // ACI Met Gala Red Carpet Viewing
Join us for a fashion-filled afternoon celebrating the Met Gala, the annual haute couture fundraising fete held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Enjoy light bites and beverages, photos ops, gorgeous garments, and a livestream viewing of red-carpet arrivals with our guest fashion experts. We are pleased to host local fashion icons Howard Bell, Philip Manghisi and Gus Zistas, alongside Helen Jean, The Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion, who will share their insights into the celebrity fashions.
The Met’s new spring fashion exhibition is Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which presents a cultural and historical examination of Black style from the 18th century to the present through an exploration of the concept of dandyism. Tied to the featured exhibition, the dress code is “Tailored for You”, which can be interpreted by embracing looks reflective of one’s personal style, including inspired takes on suiting; menswear silhouettes through the years; men’s hats, ties, canes, brooches, and pocket squares; and menswear fabrications.
Enjoy perusing select fashion books and periodicals from the Gene and Cathie Lemon Art Research Library, and shop for artful apparel, books, jewelry and more in The Museum Store which will be open during the event.
Dress to impress! Join us dressed in your interpretation of this year’s sartorial theme for an afternoon of camaraderie and fashion fun!
$50 for ACI Members and $75 for the public.
Arizona Costume Institute Presents
Booth Moore: My Life as a Fashion Insider and Journalist
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
11:30 am // Lunch
Noon // Conversation with Booth Moore + Q&A
Arizona Costume Institute invites you to a lunch and conversation with fashion editor and author, Booth Moore. Hear her experiences covering fashion week runway shows in New York and Europe for 25 years, interviewing stars on Hollywood’s red carpets, and introducing new fashion designers and brands. Learn about the many changes that occurred in the fashion scene throughout the years, including the ascendence of celebrity fashion stylists and social media influencers.
About Booth Moore
Based in Los Angeles, Booth Moore is the Executive Editor of the fashion industry “bible” Women’s Wear Daily. In between her 18-year stint at The Los Angeles Times, where she served as the first fashion critic in the newspaper’s history, and joining the team at The Hollywood Reporter as Style and Fashion News Director, she contributed to a range of publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Town & Country, Condé Nast Traveler and Robb Report.
Moore travels regularly to review runway shows in New York and Europe and has interviewed nearly every major designer in the business including Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne, Rick Owens, Cate Holstein, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Gabriela Hearst, Victoria Beckham, among others. During her career, she has documented the ascendence of Los Angeles as a fashion capital, writing about the rise of Hollywood stylists, celebrities as designers, costume designers as influencers, talent agencies launching fashion divisions, and luxury brands getting into filmmaking. For the second year in January, she reported live from the Golden Globes red carpet as part of WWD’s Eye on the Red Carpet pre-show livestream.
Moore has written business features about the success of Kim Kardashian’s Skims and L.A. brand DÔEN, covered the Indigenous fashion scene in Santa Fe, and penned stories about art, hospitality and lifestyle news, and trends for WWD’s Weekend. She has authored three books including The Glitter Plan: How We Started Juicy Couture with $200 and Turned It into a Global Brand and American Runway: 75 Years of Fashion and the Front Row.
$25 for ACI Members* and $35 for one invited guest
Presented in Singer Hall
RSVP by Wednesday, March 19
*An active ACI Membership is required to RSVP
Arizona Costume Institute Presents
Booth Moore: What Your Fashion Stylist May Not Tell You + Fashion’s Front Row
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Hosted at a Private Residence
10:30 am // Champagne + Brunch Bites
11:00 am // Conversation with Booth Moore + Q&A
Arizona Costume Institute invites you to a chic morning of fashion and conversation with fashion editor and author, Booth Moore. Hear her experiences from the front lines of fashion covering runway shows at fashion weeks in New York and Europe and conducting interviews on Hollywood’s red carpets for 25 years. She has witnessed first-hand the ascendance of celebrity stylists and high-profile designers, as the fashion landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace.
About Booth Moore
Based in Los Angeles, Booth Moore is the Executive Editor of the fashion industry “bible” Women’s Wear Daily. In between her 18-year stint at The Los Angeles Times, where she served as the first fashion critic in the newspaper’s history, and joining the team at The Hollywood Reporter as Style and Fashion News Director, she contributed to a range of publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Town & Country, Condé Nast Traveler and Robb Report.
Moore travels regularly to review runway shows in New York and Europe and has interviewed nearly every major designer in the business including Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne, Rick Owens, Cate Holstein, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Gabriela Hearst, Victoria Beckham, among others. During her career, she has documented the ascendence of Los Angeles as a fashion capital, writing about the rise of Hollywood stylists, celebrities as designers, costume designers as influencers, talent agencies launching fashion divisions, and luxury brands getting into filmmaking. For the second year in January, she reported live from the Golden Globes red carpet as part of WWD’s Eye on the Red Carpet pre-show livestream.
Moore has written business features about the success of Kim Kardashian’s Skims and L.A. brand DÔEN, covered the Indigenous fashion scene in Santa Fe, and penned stories about art, hospitality and lifestyle news, and trends for WWD’s Weekend. She has authored three books including The Glitter Plan: How We Started Juicy Couture with $200 and Turned It into a Global Brand and American Runway: 75 Years of Fashion and the Front Row.
For ACI Benefactor Members exclusively as a benefit of their membership*
Please RSVP by March 17.
Event location will be provided in your RSVP acknowledgement email. Valet parking is recommended.
*An active ACI Benefactor Membership at the Style Icon, Avant-Garde and Haute Couture levels is required to RSVP. To learn about your membership status or to upgrade your membership level contact support-aci@phxart.org or 602-307-2011.
YOU’RE INVITED!
ACI Reception and Exhibition Viewing of
Greatest Fits Volume 1: The Art of Archiving Fashion
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15
5 pm // Reception // Cummings Great Hall South
6 - 8 pm // “Ask a Docent” Viewing of Greatest Fits // Kelly Ellman Fashion Galleries
Interested in ACI, yet not an ACI member? You are invited as a special friend of Arizona Costume Institute and Phoenix Art Museum to attend a private reception and guided viewing of the latest fashion exhibition The Collection: Greatest Fits Volume 1: The art of Archiving Fashion.
Greatest Fits is an ongoing series that showcases the depth of the Museum’s fashion holdings. With more than 80 garments and accessories, the installation begins by tracing the evolution of the Museum’s collection from its founding in 1966 to the present day. Greatest Fits features archival works and early fashion acquisitions that highlight the impact of Arizona Costume Institute on the collection’s formation, while a graphic display of more than 20 all-black silhouettes visually represents defining moments in fashion history from the 18th century to contemporary times.
The installation also highlights vignettes of significant fashion “happenings” and themes, such as the Battle at Versailles, a high-fashion showdown between American and French designers in 1973; outstanding examples of avant-garde fashions; garments that draw inspiration from Romanticism and Greco-Roman culture; and technology-driven designs. Notable designers and houses represented include Fortuny, Schiaparelli, Dior, Balenciaga, McQueen, among others.
PhxArt Docents will be present in the exhibition to provide relevant details for the installation and answer questions. We hope you will join us to learn more about ACI and meet new ACI friends. We look forward to seeing you!
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.
RSVP is required. Please reply by January 7th.
Enjoy fashionable events all year long by becoming an ACI Member today!
Your generosity and involvement help support fashion exhibitions, acquisitions, and education programming at Phoenix Art Museum.
Arizona Costume Institute
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N Central Ave Phoenix, AZ 85004
http://www.arizonacostumeinstitute.org
support-aci@phxart.org
602.307.2011
Photo credit:
(Left to right) Jeanne Paquin, Black velvet tight-fitting evening dress with ostrich feather dropped skirt, 1930. Velvet (black), ostrich feathers. Gift of Mrs. Wesson Seyburn; Christian Dior, Black tulle evening gown with tulle ballerina skirt, 1955. Tulle (black). Gift of Mrs. George Ullman; Yves Saint Laurent, Black wool tuxedo jacket and tuxedo-style pants, 1967. Wool. Gift of Mrs. David E. K. Bruce
Award-winning CFDA designer Christian Siriano has established himself as a tour de force in the fashion world since launching his eponymous collection in 2008 following his studies in London under Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Siriano’s designs have been worn by today’s biggest names including current FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden, former FLOTUS Michelle Obama and VPOTUS Kamala Harris, Angelina Jolie, Oprah, Zendaya, Ariana Grande, Julianne Moore, Lady Gaga, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Porter, Cardi B, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Roberts, and Jennifer Coolidge, to name but a few.
Having just celebrated the brand’s 15 year anniversary, the Siriano design studio continues to celebrate beauty and diversity in this ever-changing fashion industry. As a result, Christian’s work has been featured in a multitude of prestigious museum exhibits including his first ever solo work retrospective titled “Christian Siriano: People Are People” at SCAD in Savannah and Atlanta, respectively, as well as The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. He’s also contributed pieces to Kensington Palace’s largest exhibition to date titled “Crown to Couture,” the “Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear” exhibition at the V&A, “Grit to Glamour” at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and The MET Costume Institute where he broke a Met Gala record for having three separate looks featured in the 2021 exhibit “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” Christian himself was also named among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2018 for his leading contributions to body diversity on the runway and red carpet, was a member of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 class of 2015, and was the youngest person to ever appear on Crain’s “40 Under 40” list at age 24.
Apart from his thriving fashion empire, Christian has been the host and mentor for Bravo’s hit series “Project Runway” and recently added best-selling author (Dresses to Dream About and Dresses to Dream About: Deluxe Edition) and interior designer (Siriano Interiors) to his impressive list of credits. This past Spring saw the launch of the second collection of his furniture line and in September he released a new book called CHRISTIAN SIRIANO: THE NEW RED CARPET.
Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO, and the Board of Trustees of Phoenix Art Museum, cordially invite you to an exclusive ACI Member reception celebrating The Collection: Greatest Fits (Vol. 1): The Art of Archiving Fashion, featuring more than 80 garments and accessories that offer the first major investigation into the formation of the renowned PhxArt fashion collection. Along with Circles members, ACI members will have special access to the installation, including cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and exhibition remarks.
When
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 | 4:30 PM
Where
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004
RSVP by October 1
602-257-2115 or circles@phxart.org
The Collection: Greatest Fits (Vol. 1): The Art of Archiving Fashion begins with an overview of the impact of Arizona Costume Institute on the collection’s expansion. Iconic silhouettes from the 18th century through the present and vignettes illustrating significant themes and historical moments demonstrate the collection’s ability to explore and educate about the larger history of fashion, showcasing the breadth and depth of the Museum’s fashion holdings.
Image credits: (Left to right) Bill Blass, Coat and Belt, 1960s. Printed cotton and patent leather. Gift of Joyce Harrison; Bonnie Cashin, Hot Pants, 1973. Suede. Gift of Mr. Philip Stills; Greatcoat, 1960s. Suede. Gift of Barbara D. Shear; Diane von Fürstenberg, Wrapped Jumpsuit, c.1977. Printed cotton knit. Gift of Mrs. Kelly Ellman
5:30 pm // Reception // J.P. Morgan Chase Lobby
6 pm // Illustrated Presentations + Panel Discussion // Whiteman Lecture Hall
7 pm // Q&A // Whiteman Lecture Hall
Available for ACI Members, Members welcomed to invite one guest to join them.
Arizona Costume Institute invites you to join us as we explore the art of historic textile conservation and the important work of digitizing the PhxArt Fashion Collection.
Learn the intricate processes involved in restoring the beauty and integrity of significant pieces of the PhxArt fashion collection as presented by local conservator Martha Winslow Grimm. Witness the steps involved in digitally cataloguing over 9,000 objects to aid in properly identifying and marketing the collection to Museum patrons and other art institutions with Katie Jones-Weinart, Digital Assets Manager, and Rebekah Moynahan, Digitization Coordinator.
After earning a graduate degree in Textile Science from Kansas State University and being awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Master Apprenticeship Grant to intern at the St. Louis Art Museum’s textile conservation laboratory, Martha Winslow Grimm, a native Phoenician, returned to Arizona and established a business as a costume and textile conservator serving Phoenix Art Museum, Heard Museum, Musical Instrument Museum, and other museums and historical houses throughout the nation. Martha has worked with Phoenix Art Museum for over thirty years. She organizes and implements a nationwide service project each year that helps small museums with their costume, textile, and accessories collections. Since 2007, events have taken place in Maine, California, Virginia, the state of Washington, and places in between. Next year’s event, the Angels Project, will be held on May 31, 2025 in Los Angeles. Martha is married to a fellow native Phoenician and has two grown sons and four grandchildren. She is also a gardener, quilter, and traveler to many countries.
Purchase tickets by Wednesday, September 18th. We regret we are unable to offer tickets after that date.
Image credit: Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, Blue velvet coat with gold stenciled painted design (Abrigo de terciopelo azul con diseño pintado en oro), 1934, silk velvet stenciled with metals, Gift of Mrs. Anne Robinson
Champagne Supernovas—Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and the '90s Renegades Who Remade Fashion by Maureen Callahan
Welcome back! The first book of the fall season (though it still feels like summer) is Champagne Supernovas, an engrossing book that gives you the inside scoop from supermodels, stylists, editors, photographers, confidantes, club kids, and scenesters who tell the unvarnished story of three of the most influential personalities to emerge in fashion in decades—Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander McQueen. This book club selection highlights the Museum and Lemon Library fashion collections.
This program is intended for audiences 18 years and older.
This is a free event. Please reserve your ticket and check in at the Visitor Services Desk.
Join librarian Jesse Lopez to learn about the fashion resources in the Lemon Library, with a focus on ‘90s fashion. Jesse will highlight fashion magazines from this period drawn from our Vogue, Vogue Paris, and Gentleman’s Quarterly (GQ) collections, as well counterculture magazines like FRUiTS. Additionally, we will examine fashion books from the era including those by or about Gianni Versace, Alexander McQueen, Vivenne Westwood, among others.
This program is intended for audiences 18 years and older.
Tickets are free for PhxArt Members. Ticket price includes Museum general admission.
Presented in the Lemon Art Research Library
Join librarian Jesse Alexander Lopez in the Lemon Library for a book club discussion.
From amazon:
In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, the best-selling author of The Stranger in the Woods brings us into Stéphane Breitwieser’s strange world.
For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than two hundred heists over nearly eight years—in museums and cathedrals all over Europe—Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than three hundred objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion.
In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser’s strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, Breitwieser never stole for money. Instead, he displayed all his treasures in a pair of secret rooms where he could admire them to his heart’s content. Possessed of a remarkable athleticism and an innate ability to circumvent practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtaking number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict’s need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend’s pleas to stop—until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down.
This is a riveting story of art, crime, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.
Presented in the Lemon Art Research Library
Join librarian Jesse Alexander Lopez in the Lemon Library for a book club discussion of Eyeliner: A Cultural History by Zahra Hankir.
From the distant past to the present, with fingers and felt-tipped pens, metallic powders and gel pots, humans have been drawn to lining their eyes. The aesthetic trademark of figures ranges from Nefertiti to Amy Winehouse. Seen through Zahra Hankir’s (kohl-lined) eyes, this ubiquitous but seldom-examined product becomes a portal to history, proof both of the stunning variety among cultures across time and space and of our shared humanity.
