Behind-the-Stage: The Production of Designer Fashion Shows
Apr
23
11:00 AM11:00

Behind-the-Stage: The Production of Designer Fashion Shows

You’re Invited! ACI Behind-the-Runway with Fashion Producer Margaret Merritt

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

11 AM // ACI Presentation // Singer Hall

Noon // Q & A

Join us for a special presentation exclusively for Style Icon, Avant-Garde and Haute Couture ACI Members. Local luxury fashion producer Margaret Merritt will provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her role managing major fashion shows across the globe for world-renowned fashion brands and couture designers. Learn what happens behind the stage before the music starts!

Following the presentation, Helen Jean, Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design, will feature collection-relevant highlights from recent fashion week shows.

Light brunch bites and specialty beverages will be provided. We look forward to seeing you!

Reserve Your TICKET

Want to join us? Upgrade your membership level here: ACI Memberships

About Margaret Merritt

Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Margaret Merritt started producing fashion shows by cutting models out of pattern books and lining them up along the fireplace, long before she knew where it would lead. She continued to develop a taste for fashion while working at the Dallas Apparel Mart and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

In the early 80’s, Merritt worked as an agent for the Kathy Muller Agency in Hawaii. After relocating to Arizona, she was the Fashion and PR Director at Saks Fifth Avenue for many years. Merritt decided to return to the modeling industry and opened The Agency Arizona, a full-service modeling agency. The Agency launched many renowned superstar models that can be seen in national campaigns and on international runways.

Merritt now focuses her talents on fashion show production, including concept, design, styling, casting, and staffing. She consistently works with clients such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and numerous designers throughout the country. Her attention to detail, unwavering commitment, and impeccable vision, has established an excellent reputation in Arizona and throughout the country.

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Library Talk: Color and Hue
Apr
27
12:00 PM12:00

Library Talk: Color and Hue

Presented in the Lemon Art Research Library

In celebration of the latest fashion-design exhibition The Power of Pink, join librarian Jesse Alexander Lopez in the Lemon Library for a discussion on all things color. The talk will highlight popular art books about color, including a rare first edition of Interaction of Color by Josef Albers, Japanese Art Deco masterpiece A Dictionary of Color Combinations Vol 1 & 2 by Sanzo Wada, and the fascinating series A History of a Color by French scholar Michel Pastoureau, among other works.

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Book Club:  The Secret Lives of Color
Apr
27
1:30 PM13:30

Book Club: The Secret Lives of Color

Presented in the Lemon Art Research Library

Following Color and Hue Library Talk in the Lemon Library,  join librarian Jesse Alexander Lopez in the Lemon Library for a book club discussion of The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair.

The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes, and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso’s blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history.

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Met Gala Red Carpet Viewing Party
May
6
3:00 PM15:00

Met Gala Red Carpet Viewing Party

Save the date!

Monday, May 6

3:00pm Photos and Reception

3:30pm Livestream from the Met Gala Red Carpet

Singer Hall 

Affectionately referred to as “fashion’s biggest night out,” the Met Gala 2024 is an annual benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City that is held on the first Monday in May. The event welcomes stars, young creatives, and industry paragons with a scene-stealing red carpet. The 2024 Met Gala will celebrate the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” 

ACI is pleased to partner with local fashion stylist, Risa Kostis, as our guest commentator during the red carpet and will be joined by Helen Jean, The Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design, who will share her insights of the celebrity fashions as well as images from our Fashion-design collection. 

Join us dressed to impress in your interpretation of this year’s sartorial theme, “Garden of Time”, for an afternoon of camaraderie, bevs + bites and fashion fun! 

About Risa Kostis 

Risa Kostis is a seasoned style expert, speaker, and entrepreneur based in Phoenix, Arizona. She is the founder of top Arizona styling company Risa Kostis Creative, and CEO/co-founder of The Rescue Kit Company, fashion emergency kits for brides and beyond. She has an extensive background in categories such as hairstyling & makeup artistry, public relations, production and development, event planning, personal shopping, and for the last decade has been styling for private clients, athletes, celebrities, and weddings. Her 20+ years in the fashion and beauty industries have been recognized internationally from San Francisco and New York City to Florence, Italy with editorial work and styling seen in over 50 media outlets like The Today Show, Good Morning America, Vogue Italia, Huffington Post, Authority Magazine, Modern Luxury, Thrive Global, the E! channel, and currently on global YouTube phenomenon, Ms. Rachel and Mr. Aron. For years, she has appeared regularly as a fashion contributor on various TV stations including Channel 3's Your Life Arizona and has frequently served as a speaker and panelist for organizations such as Girls Mentorship, Powerhouse Women, and local film festival, Fash Film Fete.  

Active ACI members may bring one guest: $20 for ACI Members and $30 for their guest. 

Please RSVP by April 28 

Ticketing Coming Soon! 

JOIN ACI

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Library Talk: Kanye, Virgil, Pharrell--Contemporary Fashion Books in the Lemon Library
May
18
12:00 PM12:00

Library Talk: Kanye, Virgil, Pharrell--Contemporary Fashion Books in the Lemon Library

Presented in the Lemon Art Research Library

The Lemon Art Research Library actively collects new books and periodicals from across the wide spectrum of fashion.  Join librarian Jesse Alexander Lopez for a talk about some of the recent books by and about fashion luminaries including former creative director of Louis Vuitton, the late Virgil Abloh, and current head Pharrell Williams. Other highlighted works include Gucci’s collaboration with streetwear pioneer Dapper Dan, as well as books by Rick Owens, Maison Martin Margiela, and Nigo, founder of Japanese streetwear brand Bape.

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Book Club: Eyeliner--A Cultural History
May
18
1:30 PM13:30

Book Club: Eyeliner--A Cultural History

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.

 

 

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Book Club: The Art Thief
Jun
15
1:30 PM13:30

Book Club: The Art Thief

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.

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Book Club:  Guarding the Art + All the Beauty in the World
Mar
16
1:30 PM13:30

Book Club: Guarding the Art + All the Beauty in the World

Location: Lemon Art Research Library

Phoenix Art Museum is currently exhibiting “Guarding the Art: A Frontline Perspective.” This unique exhibition challenges traditional museum hierarchies by producing a show comprised of works selected by guest curators from among the Museum’s frontline staff.

Join Librarian Jesse Alexander Lopez and Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary and Community Art Initiatives, Christian Ramirez, to discuss “All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley.  Patrick Bringley is a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a frontline museum guard at the famed institution.

“An astounding book about an astounding place. All the Beauty in the World is at once a keenly intelligent examination of the power of art and a profoundly empathetic exploration of the workaday culture that makes art visible to all.” —Alex Ross, New Yorker staff writer and author of Wagnerism and The Rest is Noise

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ACI LUNCH &  LECTURE WITH KAREN FEDER
Mar
6
11:30 AM11:30

ACI LUNCH & LECTURE WITH KAREN FEDER

ACI LUNCH & LECTURE WITH KARAN FEDER 

*THANK YOU - THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

11:30am // ACI Lunch // Singer Hall

12:30pm // Lecture with Karan Feder // Whiteman Hall

$25 for ACI Members | $35 for non-member guest
Lecture is open to all Museum attendees and is included with general admission
 

Join us for a special March lunch event celebrating The Power of Pink. Following lunch, costume historian Karan Feder will share a behind-the-scenes look of her role in curating special-engagement exhibition Barbie®: A Cultural Icon.  Karan will sign copies of her book Barbie Takes the Catwalk: A Style Icon’s History in Fashion, available for purchase in The Museum Store, after the lecture.

We look forward to seeing you in your favorite shade of pink! 

*SOLD OUT!

Tickets for lunch must be purchased by February 29th.   

Current ACI Members may purchase a ticket for one guest.  

About the Speaker 

Karan Feder is a leading expert in the field of costume history, preservation, and exhibition. She has worked as a costume consultant for the famed Liberace Foundation and Museum, The Mob Museum, and David Copperfield’s International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts. Her instrumental contribution to the Nevada State Museum-Las Vegas produced a dazzling archive recognized as one of the world’s notable museum collections of cabaret costumes. Feder is lauded for spearheading the initiative to rescue the surviving stage costumes from the legendary Folies Bergère cabaret, a beloved Las Vegas fixture at the Hotel Tropicana for nearly five decades. Through her unique lens as a fashion historian, Feder has authored seven publications interpreting popular culture, and she is a frequent lecturer and consultant on the subject

 Exhibition Sponsors

BARBIE®: A CULTURAL ICON  was created by Illusion Projects and curated by costume historian Karan Feder, in collaboration with Mattel. The exhibition’s presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design.  

The Phoenix premiere of Barbie®: A Cultural Icon is made possible through the generosity of The Opatrny Family Foundation, Arizona Costume Institute (ACI), Desert Financial Credit Union, Men’s Arts Council, My Sister’s Closet, Shamrock Farms, and Miriam and Yefim Sukhman.   

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. 

The Power of Pink is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design at Phoenix Art Museum.

The Power of Pink is made possible through the generosity of Arizona Costume Institute (ACI), My Sister’s Closet and the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Endowment 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. 

 

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VIP Reception /// Barbie® A Cultural Icon + The Power of Pink
Feb
13
6:00 PM18:00

VIP Reception /// Barbie® A Cultural Icon + The Power of Pink

VIP Reception /// Barbie® A Cultural Icon + The Power of Pink

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 /// 6 – 8 pm

Phoenix Art Museum 
1625 North Central Avenue 

Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO, and the Board of Trustees of Phoenix Art Museum cordially invite you to an exclusive reception celebrating Barbie®: A Cultural Icon and The Power of Pink. Along with special access to the exhibitions, enjoy light refreshments and curator remarks.

RSVP by February 6, 2024

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. THANK YOU!

About the Exhibitions 

Barbie®: A Cultural Icon examines the evolution and impact of Barbie from child’s toy to global phenomenon. The major exhibition, created by Illusion Projects and curated by costume historian Karan Feder in collaboration with Mattel, Inc., showcases more than 250 vintage dolls—including the original Barbie released in 1959—from the collections of private collector David Porcello and Mattel. It also features more than 50 historical objects and life-sized fashion designs, video interviews with Barbie designers on custom-made Barbie Dreamhouse TVs, and unique photo opportunities, including a life-size Barbie Mirror-Pink Corvette. 

Drawn entirely from the PhxArt Collection,The Power of Pink complements Barbie®: A Cultural Icon by celebrating and exploring the complex history of the color synonymous with the Barbie brand. The exhibition traces the evolution of the hue across fashion history, from its origins in 17th-century France, where it was worn by both men and women as a symbol of status, luxury, and power, to 1940s North America, where mass-marketing efforts began to gender the color, assigning pink to girls and blue to boys. Featuring more than 10 garments and ensembles, The Power of Pink highlights the work of major designers, including Gianfranco Ferré, Christian Dior, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, and more. 

Exhibition Sponsors

BARBIE®: A CULTURAL ICON  was created by Illusion Projects and curated by costume historian Karan Feder, in collaboration with Mattel. The exhibition’s presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design.  

The Phoenix premiere of Barbie®: A Cultural Icon is made possible through the generosity of:  

The Opatrny Family Foundation, Arizona Costume Institute (ACI), Desert Financial Credit Union, Men’s Arts Council, My Sister’s Closet, Shamrock Farms, and Miriam and Yefim Sukhman.   

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. 

The Power of Pink is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design at Phoenix Art Museum.

The Power of Pink is made possible through the generosity of Arizona Costume Institute (ACI), My Sister’s Closet and the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Endowment 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. 

 

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Arizona Costume Institute Presents: Lunch & Lecture – Lloyd Kiva New, Pioneer of Modern Indigenous Fashion
Nov
15
11:30 AM11:30

Arizona Costume Institute Presents: Lunch & Lecture – Lloyd Kiva New, Pioneer of Modern Indigenous Fashion

Wednesday, November 15
$25 for active ACI Members | $35 for guests*

The lecture is open to the public and included with general Museum admission. 

11:30 am /// Lunch in Singer Hall

12:30 pm /// Lecture in Whiteman Hall

Join Scottsdale historian Joan Fudala, for an engaging presentation featuring the art and fashions of Cherokee fashion designer Lloyd Henri “Kiva” New, highlighting his broad Southwestern influence. New was an innovator of Indigenous Modernism and charter member of the Arizona Craftsmen cooperative, which aided the development of Scottsdale into a center for hand-crafted arts and fashions. 

 *ACI Members may bring one guest

 Please RSVP by Thursday, November 9.

TICKETS

About the speaker: 

Joan Fudala is a community historian, consultant and history columnist for local publications.  She is the author of eight books, including The People’s Preserve; Historic Scottsdale: A Life from the Land; Images of America – Scottsdale; Golf in Scottsdale; 50 Years of the Scottsdale Charros & Spring Training; and Desert Highlands.   

Joan serves on Scottsdale’s Museum of the West Board of Trustees, the Scottsdale Historical Society Advisory Board.  She has been recognized as Scottsdale’s Woman of the Year, with Scottsdale Leadership’s Frank Hodges Alumni Achievement Award, the Scottsdale Library’s Spirit of Literacy and Visionary Awards, the Arizona Governor’s Heritage Preservation Award, DAR’s Women in History Award and as a Scottsdale History Hall of Fame inductee. 

She began researching Lloyd Kiva New in 2000, heard him deliver the eulogy at Phil Curtis’ memorial service at the Phoenix Art Museum in November 2000, and visited his home and widow, Aysen, in Santa Fe in 2005.  She has written extensively about Kiva and his fellow Arizona Craftsmen and fashion artists of the 1950s, produced a video segment for Kiva’s 2005 induction into the Scottsdale History Hall of Fame, co-curated an exhibit of Kiva items at the Museum of the West in 2017, and wrote the historic narrative for the successful nomination that listed the Kiva Craft Center on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.  She also appears in the 2022 documentary about the life of Lloyd Kiva, “New: Art is Culture, Culture is Art.” 

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ACI Cocktails & Conversation - Hip Hop Culture and Couture
Oct
25
5:30 PM17:30

ACI Cocktails & Conversation - Hip Hop Culture and Couture

Join Ashley LaRae Sampson, Founder & President of StylePHX, as she presents a snapshot of the Hip Hop music industry and shares her experience as a stylist touring with hip-hop’s most high-profile, celebrity performers.

Enjoy a no-host reception prior to the lecture. 

Singer Hall, located in the Education Building.

Event tickets are complimentary for current ACI Members; $5 for the public. Reserve your seat by Monday, October 23. Click HERE for your ticket.

About the speaker:

After beginning her career as a celebrity fashion stylist, touring with world-renown superstars such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Keyshia Cole along with fashion consulting for various musicians, athletes, businesspersons and projects, Ashley now teaches people how to align their personal and professional brands with their Ideal Self through image & brand consulting, business and spiritual advising, mindfulness, sound healing, art, and esoteric tools with StylePHX, founded in 2010, accompanying brand-curated Shop (ShopStylePHX.com), Grow|StylePHX Garden, and healing outreach, The Esoteric Blueprint.

Over the years, Ashley has also instructed a course at her alma mater, Arizona State University, in their Herberger Institute School of Art - Fashion program and has produced and hosted shows for Social Television Network (STNTV), where you can stream her healing mini-series, ‘Of Sound Mind,’ interviews with community leaders on ‘Arizona Achievers’ and more.

Ashley has dedicated free time to community empowerment through Grow|StylePHX Garden at Project Roots AZ, as a member of Phoenix College President's Advisory Council, a Million Dollar Teacher Project and OneMillion Entrepreneurs Advisor, Past Chair of Phoenix Valley Young Professionals, Communications Director for AIGA Arizona, Marketing Co-Chair for Girls in Tech Phoenix, Vice Chair of Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams’ Business Council, Youth Mentor with New Pathways for Youth, and member of Achieve60AZ African American Attainment Equity Task Force.

Ashley is a proud alumnus of Arizona State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Minor in Communication Studies before attending Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles for a Professional Designation in Visual Communication.

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Oct
21
1:30 PM13:30

Lemon Art Research Library Book Club: Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem, A Memoir by Daniel Day

Lemon Art Research Library Book Club: Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem, A Memoir by Daniel Day

October 21 | 1:30 pm

Free for Members and the general public

Presented in the Lemon Art Research Library

Join librarian Jesse Lopez for a short presentation highlighting some of the Lemon Art Research Library’s fashion resources available to the public for free, including our Vogue archive and special fashion collections, with an emphasis on contemporary hip-hop fashion books. Afterwards, discuss the autobiography of revolutionary designer Dapper Dan, a visionary who merged hip-hop aesthetic and high fashion at the turn of the 20th century. More information available soon at phxart.org.

 

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Oct
21
12:00 PM12:00

Public Talk: The Garment League

Public Talk: The Garment League
October 21 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public
Presented in Whiteman Hall. Limited capacity.

From high fashion to street fashion, garments today touch on big themes, such as identity, consumerism, self-authenticity, group identification, politics, and pleasure. Join us for a panel discussion about these issues with designer Aalim Hughey and boutique owner Mika Jerry, moderated by The Garment League founder Tricee Thomas. More information available soon at phxart.org.

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FashFilmFete Festival
Sep
23
11:00 AM11:00

FashFilmFete Festival

FashFilmFete Festival

September 23 | 11 am - 5 pm

Locations: Cummings Great Hall and Whiteman Hall 

FashFilmFete Festival
FashFilmFete™ is a premiere film festival exploring the history and future of fashion storytelling through the curation of Hollywood, indie, experimental, and documentary films that showcase the significance of fashion in filmmaking. FashFilmFete™ aims to bring together a global community of fashion and film aficionados to explore style in cinema and its influence on pop culture, fashion design, contemporary art, and beauty standards, providing a platform for historically underrepresented voices in film and fashion. 

TICKETS:

The All Access Pass includes one (1) feature-length documentary, four (4) shorts, a panel discussion, and a director Q&A. VIP Pass includes all the above plus a gift and a filmmaker meet and greet with light hors d’oeuvres at the Phoenix Theatre starting at 5:30 p.m.

$35 for Members | $25 for Students | $45 for the general public | VIP Pass $75 | $20 for Featured Film Single Ticket (Member tickets discount at checkout with active membership - Choose General ticket) 

Whiteman Schedule

11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Series of Shorts
•    "American Made," directed by Dana Nies
•    "The Power Is Yours," directed by Urivaldo Lopes and Steeven Kodjia
•    "Time is Eternal," directed by Daniel M. Lir and Bayou Bennett (Award Presentation),
•    "Diamond Minds," directed by Maurice Porcher and Karim Staine

1-1:30 p.m.: "Fashion’s Impact on Film and Culture" Panel Discussion (Angela Johnson, Maurice Porcher, Ashley LaRae Sampson, Karim Staine)

1:30–2 p.m.: Intermission

2-3:45 p.m.: "Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field" (Award presentation)

4–4:30 p.m.: "Happy Clothes" Q&A with director Michael Selditch

4:30–5 p.m.: Event ends 

Great Hall Schedule

11 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
•    "CityCentralDC – "Celebrating You," directed by Dean Alexander
•    Finissage," directed by Pabli Stein and Sebastian Muro
•    Franciacorta: A Golden Feeling," directed by Enea Colombi
•    "House of Mystic Magic," directed by Alexander Miguel
•    "How to Deal With Fame," directed by Tiffany Ike
•    "The Missing Piece," directed by Hitaali Dharamsh

Click HERE to purchase tickets.

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Sep
13
5:30 PM17:30

Cocktails & Conversation - Men's Tailoring

ARIZONA COSTUME INSTITUTE COCKTAILS & CONVERSATION
MEN'S TAILORING

Wednesday, September 13

Join Arizona Costume Institute to kick-off the new season and to celebrate men’s fashion and the fine art of tailoring.

Enjoy an evening at Phoenix Art Museum beginning with a cocktail reception, followed by an introduction on menswear and tailoring by Helen Jean, Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design, and an engaging conversation with a guest panel of talented local tailors. The program will be moderated by style arbiter, fashion producer and critic, Oscar De las salas.

Guest Panelists:

JC Donaldson – House of Donaldson

Arif Jelani - DIOR, Scottsdale

James Keller – Ferragamo

Pete Zistas – Brother’s Tailoring Scottsdale

Presented in Singer Hall, located in the Administration Building

5:30 PM Reception

6:00 PM Program

This is an ACI Member-only event.  Each Member may bring one guest.  Please reserve a ticket for you and your guest to attend.

Please RSVP by Thursday, September 7th. Click below to reserve your seat.

TICKETS

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Aug
16
5:00 PM17:00

Summer Social Hour Tours

SUMMER SOCIAL TOURS

3rd Wednesday of the month | 5pm
Meet in Greenbaum Lobby

This summer, beat the heat with social docent-led tours of fashion-related exhibitions and archives. We will meet in Greenbaum Lobby and then move to the galleries together. No RSVP necessary.


Wednesday, August 16 // 5pm - tour of Fashioning Self: The Photography of Everyday Expression which examines the role of photography in shaping, sharing, and shifting identity- much like clothing does in self expression.

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Aug
9
6:00 PM18:00

Lemon Library Lecture: Fashion Resources

August 9 | 6 pm

Free for Members and the general public

Presented in the Lemon Art Research Library

The Gene and Cathie Lemon Art Research Library has a wide and unique variety of fashion resources available, including the Astaire Library of Costume and Fashion. The Lemon Library maintains a near full run of iconic fashion magazines like Vogue, Vogue France, Harper’s BAZAAR, and GQ. The Lemon Library also collects counterculture fashion publications like Japanese street fashion magazine FRUiTS. Additionally, researchers can freely access online databases including the Vogue Archive and Women’s Wear Daily. The Lemon Library is located on the first floor of the Administration Building.

Join librarian Jesse Lopez to learn how to use these amazing resources. To reserve your spot, and for more information, click here.

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Jul
19
5:00 PM17:00

Summer Social Hour Tours

SUMMER SOCIAL TOURS

3rd Wednesday of the month | 5pm
Meet in Greenbaum Lobby

This summer, beat the heat with social docent-led tours of fashion-related exhibitions and archives. We will meet in Greenbaum Lobby and then move to the galleries together. No RSVP necessary.


Wednesday, July 19 // 5pm - tour of the European and American galleries featuring items from the fashion collection to compliment the paintings of the same era. 


Wednesday, August 16 // 5pm - tour of Fashioning Self: The Photography of Everyday Expression which examines the role of photography in shaping, sharing, and shifting identity- much like clothing does in self expression.

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Jun
21
5:00 PM17:00

Summer Social Hour Tours

SUMMER SOCIAL TOURS

3rd Wednesday of the month | 5pm
Meet in Greenbaum Lobby

This summer, beat the heat with social docent-led tours of fashion-related exhibitions and archives. We will meet in Greenbaum Lobby and then move to the galleries together. No RSVP necessary.

Wednesday, June 21 // 5pm - tour of the Astaire Library of Costume with librarian, Jesse Lopez, a special collection that houses many rare books and prints relating to costume and textile- including every printed issue of Vogue


Wednesday, July 19 // 5pm - tour of the European and American galleries featuring items from the fashion collection to compliment the paintings of the same era. 


Wednesday, August 16 // 5pm - tour of Fashioning Self: The Photography of Everyday Expression which examines the role of photography in shaping, sharing, and shifting identity- much like clothing does in self expression.

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May
24
6:00 PM18:00

Film Screening: The First Monday in May

Wednesday, May 24

6 – 8:30 pm

TICKETS: $5 for Members and the general public

Whiteman Lecture Hall

Join PhxArt and FashFilmFete for a night at the museum when fashion meets film. Quarterly screenings will feature films in which fashion is a pivotal component to the storytelling. Each screening will include a discussion panel with an audience Q&A after the film. 

The First Monday in May offers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at two of New York’s premiere cultural events, including the creation of China: Through The Looking Glass, the most attended fashion exhibition in the history of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the 2015 Met Gala.

Rated PG-13. Estimated: 1.5 h.

Tickets available for purchase at the front desk.

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May
17
5:30 PM17:30

ACI Cocktails and Fashion Conversation with Hermann Plank

5:30pm | Reception | Great Hall

6:30pm | Lecture with Hermann Plank | Whiteman Lecture Hall

Free for ACI Members, $5 for non-members

 

Guest speaker Hermann Plank will take fashion digital. As the Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of METAXFASHION Inc., the presentation will go in detail on NFTs and provide a first glance on how fashion designers and brands can mint their own designs, and customers can buy and trade fashion NFTs.

 

About the Speaker

Hermann Plank is the President of TecnoKal, an international marketing and technology company in Scottsdale, AZ focusing on innovation workshops, manufacturing assessments and digital twin implementation in the plastics industry. Hermann holds a Master's degree in Polymer Science and Engineering from University Leoben, Austria, and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Since 2007 he has been an advisory board member of Phoenix Fashion Week focusing on operational excellence, growth strategies and teaching emerging fashion designers Six Sigma philosophy. Hermann is also Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of METAXFASHION Inc. creating the first ever NFT Eco System for Fashion designers and brands on the Algorand Blockchain. 

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May
1
3:00 PM15:00

Met Gala Red Carpet Viewing Party

Monday, May 1 | 3pm- 6pm

Singer Hall

ACI will rollout our own red carpet for a special viewing party to watch a livestream of the red carpet arrivals of today’s most stylish celebrities to the 2023 Met Gala.

We’ll have photo opportunities, cocktails, and small bites to celebrate one of the most popular nights of fashion!

Dress to Impress! This year’s exhibition, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” will celebrate the full work and life of designer Karl Lagerfeld. The dress code is, fittingly, “in honor of Karl.” As Lagerfeld designed for many houses—including his eponymous brand, Patou, Balmain, Chloé, Fendi, and Chanel—there no shortage of inspiration.

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Apr
21
10:00 AM10:00

"Peek into the Vault" with Curator Helen Jean and Costume and Textile Conservator, Martha Grimm

Friday, April 21 | Whiteman Lecture Hall

10am | Helen Jean, Curator of Fashion Design at Phoenix Art Musuem

11am | Martha Grimm, Costume and Textile Conservator

A generous invitation is extended to all ACI Members from the Phoenix Art Museum Docents to attend a special educational lecture on the practices of collection care and conservation for costumes and textiles. The Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design, Helen Jean, will give a virtual tour of the fashion storage vault to demonstrate the management and storage of various garments and textiles. Following Helen, costume and textile conservator, Martha Grimm, will share insights into her expertise as a cares for, mends, and preserves textiles.

Optional Lunch at Palette - immediately following the lecture, attendees are invited to have lunch together in Palette Restaurant. Lunch is optional and the responsibility of each guest. Reservations are highly encouraged.

about the speaker- martha grimm

After earning a graduate degree in Textiles from Kansas State University and using a National Endowment for the Arts Master Apprenticeship Grant to learn as an intern in the St. Louis Art Museum’s textile conservation laboratory, Martha Winslow Grimm established a conservation business serving museums throughout the Midwest and Southwest regions of the United States. Martha, a native Phoenician, returned to Arizona and continued working as a costume and textile conservator at the Phoenix Art Museum, Heard Museum, Musical Instrument Museum and at multiple museums and historical houses throughout the nation. She has worked at Phoenix Art Museum with the three Fashion Design Department curators and two of the Asian Arts curators. Martha organizes and implements each year a nationwide service project which helps small museums with their costume, textile, and accessories collections. Since 2007 events have occurred from Maine to California, from Virginia to the state of Washington and places in between.

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Apr
19
to Apr 20

ACI Haute Couture Event - NEW COLLECTION ACQUISITION VIEWING & CATERED LUNCH

ACI HAUTE COUTURE MEMBER EVENT:
NEW COLLECTION ACQUISITION VIEWING & CATERED LUNCH


Wednesday, April 19 | 11 am – 1 pm
Singer Hall
This event is available only to ACI Haute Couture Members as a benefit of membership.
 
Join fellow Haute Couture Members and the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design, Helen Jean, for an intimate viewing of the most recent fashion acquisition pieces added to the Phoenix Art Museum collection. This private “show and tell” will be the first opportunity to see new pieces that were accepted into the fashion collection in 2022 and learn of their significance. Immediately following the viewing will be a hosted seasonal lunch. We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP required by April 12.

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Mar
30
10:00 AM10:00

ACI Benefactor Member Event: Zang Toi Trunk Show at Saks Fifth Avenue

Thursday, March 30 | 10am- noon
Saks Fifth Avenue, Biltmore Fashion Park, 2446 East Camelback Road.

Join us for a special morning at Saks Fifth Avenue to see the latest fashions of award winning designer Zang Toi. The international designer known for dressing celebrity clientele will share inspirations for the 2023 spring collection. Champagne and light hors-d'oeuvre will be served.

This event is a special member benefit for Style Icon, Avant-Garde, and Haute Couture Members only.

about the designer

Zang Toi is a renowned Fashion Designer who has built a tradition of elegance for over 20 years. Coming from humble beginnings in Kelantan, Malaysia, he landed in New York City at the age of 20 where he studied at the distinguished Parsons School of Design. In August 1989, he opened his atelier and soon after, U.S Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour featured Zang in March 1990 issue and was one of the first Asian designers championed by the renowned editor. 

In 1990, Zang was awarded the Mouton Cadet Young Designer of the Year which recognizes the top, young, U.S. designer of the year. Since that time, Zang’s work has been featured in major publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, Financial Times, and more. Not only has he dressed Hollywood celebrities such as Sharon Stone, Elizabeth Taylor, Farrah Fawcett, Kristie Alley, Patti LaBelle, Gong Li, Eva Longoria, and Heather Graham, but has also created luxurious wardrobe for philanthropists and royalty including Melinda Gates and Saudi Princess Haifa Bandar Al Saud.

Today, the world continues to recognize Zang’s passion for timeless beauty as he builds on a strong tradition of elegance.

this event is made possible in part due to saks fifth avenue.

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Mar
29
6:00 PM18:00

The Gospel According to André film screening, presented by Fash.Film.Fete

film screening + panel discussion: The Gospel According to André

Fashion Meets Film Presented by FashFilmFete 

March 29, 2023 | 6 – 8:30 pm 

Presented in Whiteman Hall. Limited capacity.

 TICKETS: $5


Join PhxArt and FashFilmFete, for a night at the museum when fashion meets film. The quarterly screenings will feature films where fashion is a pivotal component to the storytelling. Each screening will include a discussion panel with an audience Q&A after the film. The film screening series presented by FashFilmFete aims to bring together a global community of fashion and film aficionados to explore style in cinema and its influence on pop culture, fashion design, contemporary art and beauty standards, with a mission to provide a platform for historically underrepresented voices in film and fashion. 

 

The Gospel According to André 

Director Kate Novack explores the life of fashion journalist André Leon Talley, taking viewers on an emotional journey from his roots growing up in the Jim Crow South, to become one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times.

Rated PG-13. Estimated: 1.5 h. 

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Mar
18
12:00 PM12:00

Lemon Art Research Library Lecture - Japanese Street Fashions in Fruits Magazine

Lemon Art Research Library Lecture with Librarian Jesse Lopez and artist and musician, Saul Millan

Saturday, March 18 | Noon

Singer Hall

TICKETS: Included with General Admission and FREE for Members.

 

Join librarian Jesse Lopez and artist and musician Saul Millan to learn about the highly influential, but now defunct, Japanese fashion magazine Fruits (1997-2017) and other Japanese subculture magazines from the 2000s. This iconic magazine has influenced current street and runway fashion, and Mr. Original issues of Fruits magazine, which are part of the Lemon Art Research Library’s collection, will be on view.

 

Following the lecture, join Jesse Lopez for the next installment of the Lemon Art Research Library Book Club, featuring Charlie Porter’s What Artists Wear. This richly illustrated book takes readers on a journey through the clothing worn by artists and what their choices reveal to us. This book club selection explores topics central to three PhxArt exhibitions, including Fashioning Self: The Photography of Everyday Expression, MOVE: The Modern Cut of Geoffrey Beene, and Mr: You Can Hear the Song of This Town.

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Feb
22
5:30 PM17:30

ACI Cocktails and Fashion Conversation with Hermann Plank

5:30pm // Reception

6:30pm // Lecture with Hermann Plank // Whiteman Lecture Hall

Free for ACI Members, $5 for non-members

 

Guest speaker Hermann Plank will take fashion digital. As the Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of METAXFASHION Inc., the presentation will go in detail on NFTs and provide a first glance on how fashion designers and brands can mint their own designs, and customers can buy and trade fashion NFTs.

 

About the Speaker

Hermann Plank is the President of TecnoKal, an international marketing and technology company in Scottsdale, AZ focusing on innovation workshops, manufacturing assessments and digital twin implementation in the plastics industry. Hermann holds a Master's degree in Polymer Science and Engineering from University Leoben, Austria, and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Since 2007 he has been an advisory board member of Phoenix Fashion Week focusing on operational excellence, growth strategies and teaching emerging fashion designers Six Sigma philosophy. Hermann is also Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of METAXFASHION Inc. creating the first ever NFT Eco System for Fashion designers and brands on the Algorand Blockchain. 

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Feb
15
5:00 PM17:00

New Member + Recruitment Tour

February 15, 2023

5 pm // Reception

5:30 pm // Tour with Helen Jean, Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion-Design

 

Have a friend who is interested in learning more about ACI membership?

 

There will be an informational reception available to new members or prospective members to learn more about what is available to ACI members to meet new friends. Immediately following the reception, Curator Helen Jean will give a tour of the fashion exhibition, MOVE: The Modern Cut of Geoffrey Beene.

 

This tour is primarily for new ACI members and those interested in joining ACI. No RSVP necessary.

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Jan
31
5:30 PM17:30

ACI Exhibition Opening Reception

ACI Exclusive and Circles of Support Exhibition Reception
January 31, 2023 /// 5:30 – 7:30 pm /// Phoenix Art Museum

5:30 pm // Reception
5:45 pm // Remarks

Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO, and the Board of Trustees of Phoenix Art Museum, cordially invite you to an exclusive reception for MOVE: The Modern Cut of Geoffrey Beene. Enjoy refreshments and hors d’oeuvres, then remarks from the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design Helen Jean, along with a special preview of the exhibition.

RSVP by January 20, 2023 by phone to 602-257-2115 or by email to circles@phxart.org.


About the Exhibition

MOVE: The Modern Cut of Geoffrey Beene celebrates the dynamic fashions of the late designer renowned for revolutionizing American sportswear and for his trailblazing runway ballets. Featuring garments drawn from the institution’s Geoffrey Beene Archive, the exhibition showcases a wide array of jumpsuits, jackets, dresses, and more, along with materials and ephemera from Beene’s personal archive, on loan from Authentic Brands Group and on view publicly for the first time. MOVE also features video interviews with the muses, models, and collaborators who knew the designer best, bringing to life the brilliance and wit of the American fashion icon.

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Jan
18
4:30 PM16:30

Member Monthly Social Hour

UPDATE FOR JANUARY. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Palette is unable to host the social hour for January. Guests are still encouraged to self-guide the Museum and see fashions on view in the European and American galleries.

Every third Wednesday of the month, 4:30pm- 6:30pm.

Join us for a friendly social hour on the third Wednesday of each month. This informal social hour is a time for us to be in community with each other and to explore through the fashion exhibition on view. We encourage you to bring your friends who are interested in joining ACI!

No RSVP necessary.

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Dec
21
4:00 PM16:00

Member Monthly Social Hour

Palette Restaurant, every third Wednesday of the month, 4pm- 6:30pm.

Join us for a friendly social hour on the third Wednesday of each month at Palette Restaurant at Phoenix Art Museum. This informal social hour is a time for us to be in community with each other and to self-guide through the fashion exhibition on view. We encourage you to bring your friends who are interested in joining ACI!

No RSVP necessary, no-host food and drink available.

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Dec
5
11:00 AM11:00

Holiday Luncheon

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2022

11 AM

PHOENIX ART MUSEUM


The Arizona Costume Institute and Phoenix Art Museum will celebrate fashion at the annual ACI Holiday Luncheon, the most fashionable fundraising event of the year in the greater Phoenix metro area.

Hosted on the first Monday in December, the Holiday Luncheon features a champagne reception, a multi-course lunch, a book-signing or meet-and-greet with the keynote speaker, and a luxury raffle featuring high-end items from both local and nationally recognized designers, boutiques, and businesses. All proceeds benefit fashion exhibitions, acquisitions, and education programming at Phoenix Art Museum.

Visit arizonacostumeinstitute.org/holiday-luncheon for more event information.

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Nov
16
4:00 PM16:00

Member Monthly Social Hour

Palette Restaurant, every third Wednesday of the month, 4pm- 6:30pm.

Join us for a friendly social hour on the third Wednesday of each month at Palette Restaurant at Phoenix Art Museum. This informal social hour is a time for us to be in community with each other and to self-guide through the fashion exhibition on view. We encourage you to bring your friends who are interested in joining ACI!

No RSVP necessary, no-host food and drink available.

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Nov
9
11:30 AM11:30

2nd Wednesday Luncheon: Fashioning Japanese Subcultures with Yuniya Kawamura

Wednesday, November 9

11:30am | Lunch in sculpture garden

12:30pm | Lecture in Whiteman Lecture Hall

1:30pm | author book signing, Fashioning Japanese Subcultures


LUNCHEON TICKETS

Tickets are required to attend the luncheon. Reservations close Monday, November 7.

$22 ACI member luncheon ticket

$30 non-member luncheon ticket

A luncheon ticket is not required to attend the presentation. The presentation is open to the public and included with museum general admission.


 

Western fashion has been widely appreciated and consumed in Japan for decades, but since the mid-1990s Japanese youths have been playing a crucial role in forming their own unique fashion communities and producing creative styles which have had a major impact on global fashion. Geographically and stylistically defined, subcultures such as Lolita in Harajuku and Gyaru and Gyaru-o in Shibuya, reflect the affiliation and identities of their members, and have often blurred the boundary between professionals and amateurs for models, photographers, merchandisers and designers. In the past decade, these youth subcultures have gradually disappeared from the streets of Tokyo as they shift their presence to the social medial platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. The face-to-face physical interaction that used to be the norm in establishing a subcultural community and strengthening their bond is now occurring in the digital space.


PRE-PURCHASE YOUR BOOK NOW!

Book signing to follow lecture. Pre-purchase your copy of Fashioning Japanese Subcultures from The Museum Store here, limited copies will be available the day-of the presentation.

 

DINE WITH US AL FRESCO

Join us for a spring lunch in the garden. Lunch will be served al fresco, including a fresh salad, dessert pastries, and iced beverages. With health and safety in mind, lunch will be prepackaged. Lunch is optional, you do not need to attend the luncheon to attend the author presentation.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yuniya Kawamura is a professor of sociology at the Fashion Institute of Technology/State University of NY, and an invited faculty member/lecturer in the Graduate School of Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. She is the author of Fashioning Japanese Subcultures (2012) which is the first theoretical and analytical study on Japan's contemporary youth subcultures and their stylistic expressions. She has also published The Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion (2004) and Fashion-ology (2005, 2018) among other publications in fashion studies. She is a board member of the International Fashion Research Group at the Bologna University and is also an editorial board member of several academic journals, such as The Fashion Theory and The International Journal of Fashion Studies. Her area of expertise includes fashion theory, Japanese street fashion and high fashion, youth subcultures and indigenous needlework techniques. She earned her PhD in sociology from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) at Columbia University in NY.

Image credit: courtesy of Yuniya Kawamura

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Oct
19
4:00 PM16:00

Member Monthly Social Hour

Palette Restaurant, every third Wednesday of the month, 4pm- 6:30pm.

Join us for a friendly social hour on the third Wednesday of each month at Palette Restaurant at Phoenix Art Museum. This informal social hour is a time for us to be in community with each other and to self-guide through the fashion exhibition on view. We encourage you to bring your friends who are interested in joining ACI!

No RSVP necessary, no-host food and drink available.

View Event →