Organized by Jill D’Alessandro, curator in charge of Costume and Textile Arts, “Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy” will run from April 16 to September 5, 2022. In the downstairs galleries visitors will move through a series of rooms, each dedicated to themes that recur in the designer’s collections, including costume and theater, floral and botanical motifs, Chinese embroidery techniques, architecture, “sovereign fantasy,” (as the press release puts it), and spirituality. Upstairs, in the decorative arts galleries there will be a series of “interventions,” where Pei’s work is juxtaposed with artworks from the permanent collection, highlighting the dialogue between cultures.
Though she’s been working in fashion for decades, Pei became famous overnight, at least in the West, when Rihanna wore one of the designer’s magnificent creations to the “China: Through the Looking Glass” Met gala in 2015. (The star said she discovered Pei by googling Chinese couture.) That memeable yellow gown will not be on view in San Francisco, where the focus is more on how the personal mingles with the historical.
Pei was born in 1967, and from a young age her imagination was fueled by tales, passed on from her grandmother, of imperial splendor. A graduate of the country’s first official fashion program, the designer draws on historical references and traditional techniques to realize her romanticized vision of the world. “I think it’s interesting that [Pei]’s really used her couture runway for the most part as a tool for artistic expression,” notes D’Alessandro. At the same time, Pei, who is sometimes referred to as “China’s first couturier,” and has presented collections in Paris, sees herself as a representative of her country. “It is my responsibility to let the world know China’s tradition and past, and to give the splendor of China a new expression,” she told Vanity Fair in 2015.
“Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy” traces the emergence of China as an international fashion force through the work of its star designer, whose work is defined by the contrasts of past and present, East and West, fact and fiction, and the personal and patriotic.
Though she’s been working in fashion for decades, Pei became famous overnight, at least in the West, when Rihanna wore one of the designer’s magnificent creations to the “China: Through the Looking Glass” Met gala in 2015. (The star said she discovered Pei by googling Chinese couture.) That memeable yellow gown will not be on view in San Francisco, where the focus is more on how the personal mingles with the historical.
Pei was born in 1967, and from a young age her imagination was fueled by tales, passed on from her grandmother, of imperial splendor. A graduate of the country’s first official fashion program, the designer draws on historical references and traditional techniques to realize her romanticized vision of the world. “I think it’s interesting that [Pei]’s really used her couture runway for the most part as a tool for artistic expression,” notes D’Alessandro. At the same time, Pei, who is sometimes referred to as “China’s first couturier,” and has presented collections in Paris, sees herself as a representative of her country. “It is my responsibility to let the world know China’s tradition and past, and to give the splendor of China a new expression,” she told Vanity Fair in 2015.
“Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy” traces the emergence of China as an international fashion force through the work of its star designer, whose work is defined by the contrasts of past and present, East and West, fact and fiction, and the personal and patriotic.
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