"Fit the century, forget the year.'' - ValentinaMuseum of the City of New York (MCNY) is a wonderful little jewel located beyond the traditional boundaries of what is consider Fifth Avenue's "Museum Mile." Many don't traverse farther than the Guggenheim at 89th street, and for this reason it is a pleasant (relatively) tourist-free experience.
Valentina: American Couture and the Cult of Celebrity at MCNY is a rather small exhibit, but significantly one of the first to explore the life and legacy of Mrs. Valentina Nicholaevna Sanina Schlee (1899-1989, known simply as Valentina) whose couture designs blossomed from the roaring 20's through to the fabulous 50's, clothing celebrities such as Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Cornell, and Mrs. Randolph Hearst, as well as many society women from the Whitney and Vanderbilt families. Valentina's life story is one that epitomizes the 'American Dream.' Born in Kiev in 1899, she immigrated to New York in 1923, and through careful public-image crafting she reinvented herself to become a pioneer in the American couture fashion industry. In New York, Valentina and her husband, financier George Schlee, were prominent members of the 'Cafe Society' (think Evelyn Waugh's "Bright Young Things") where Valentina stood out for her always impeccably chic simple designs. In her large and bravado persona Valentina is often remembered for her aphorisms, such as: "Simplicity survives the changes of fashion," as well as "Mink is for football,'' and "Ermine is for bathrobes.'' Ha!
Valentina: American Couture and the Cult of Celebrity at MCNY is a rather small exhibit, but significantly one of the first to explore the life and legacy of Mrs. Valentina Nicholaevna Sanina Schlee (1899-1989, known simply as Valentina) whose couture designs blossomed from the roaring 20's through to the fabulous 50's, clothing celebrities such as Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Cornell, and Mrs. Randolph Hearst, as well as many society women from the Whitney and Vanderbilt families. Valentina's life story is one that epitomizes the 'American Dream.' Born in Kiev in 1899, she immigrated to New York in 1923, and through careful public-image crafting she reinvented herself to become a pioneer in the American couture fashion industry. In New York, Valentina and her husband, financier George Schlee, were prominent members of the 'Cafe Society' (think Evelyn Waugh's "Bright Young Things") where Valentina stood out for her always impeccably chic simple designs. In her large and bravado persona Valentina is often remembered for her aphorisms, such as: "Simplicity survives the changes of fashion," as well as "Mink is for football,'' and "Ermine is for bathrobes.'' Ha!
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