Where Fashion Meets Art

On April 27th, the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District kicked off its 7th Annual Where Fashion Meets Art exhibition benefiting the Family Programs of the Whitney Museum of American Art. The delightful fe'te was in fact a series of private cocktail receptions held simultaneously at thirty-three prestigious boutiques spanning the 29 blocks from 57th to 86th Streets. Through May 13th, some of the world's most premier luxury boutiques will host in-store exhibitions of artwork that reflect their design philosophies. The pieces were selected both from Madison Avenue galleries and the designers' personal collections. An estimated $30,000 is expected to be raised, with many of the participating boutiques donating [as much as] 15% of the evening's sales the Family Programs. They were off to a good start as opening night attracted thousands of art aficionados and Fashionistas who previewed the exhibits and shopped for a good cause along the famed Avenue.

I began my reveling at Ralph Lauren where a charming vignette of bronze antique-style car models titled Crosslocomobile by French sculptor Gerard Cambon, was on display. Ranging in price from $3,900 to $15,000, the sculptures flanked the sunken level fireplace as staff served wine and light hors d'oeuvres. I continued on to one of my favorite stops of the night, Yves Saint Laurent; there I was met by all my favorites' peonies, chocolate covered strawberries, and champagne! This scene provided a very decadent backdrop to Mariano Molina's bullfighting-themed paintings which were inspired by the current Spring ready-to-wear collection, an homage to the beauty and timelessness of Spain. Sonia Rykiel was host to Vadis Turner's edible artwork, petit fours inspired by her jewelry designs. Donna Karan's urban oasis featured a piece from her private collection, an untitled wooden sculpture by Hungarian architect and graphic artist, Pierre Szekely.

The emboldened works of Chuck Price infused elements of nature such as a wishbone, lightning bolt, and horns; these were complimented nicely by the jewels at De Grisogono from the gilded paintings found on the ground level up past the spiral staircase to the bronze cast sculptures. Many in the fashion community have his pieces in their private collections including Kate Moss, Manolo Blahnik, Marc Jacobs, and Anna Wintour. Dolce & Gabbana was the most energetic locale of all; mixes of Fleetwood Mac and Madonna poured out onto the street like the soundtrack from a live runway show. Dolce & Gabbana are known for their provocative campaigns and runway presentations.  The lively interplay between Marco Perego's We Are Not Cartoons series and their collection was vibrant with explosions of color. Les Copains exhibited Patrick Gordon's lush rose paintings. Known for experimenting with scale, Mr. Gordon paints larger than life bouquets. His color combinations are rich, vivid, and unexpected with exquisite details. With one of these beautiful works, I might not miss having fresh flowers so much. 'Apollonia Libation' by sculptor Dimitri Hadzi was installed at Marina Rinaldi. Once again, I was welcomed with strawberries, champagne and a music trio playing soft samba.

Many of the artists were on hand at the receptions, mingling with guests and art connoisseurs to answer questions about their work. DKNY presented 'I' by Alexander Berg, a series of [photographic] stills. DKNY featured one of the most cheerful visual merchandising couplings of the evening, mounds of balloons color coordinated with the clothing displays. At Morgane Le Fay, I discovered one of my favorite artists of the night, Kim Dane whose portrait, 'Dita Von Teese' was so captivating; I could barely take my eyes off it. Ms. Dane seems to capture the spirit of her subject, immortalizing a playfulness and innocence with each brushstroke that resonates with her audience. The night was brimming with creativity and passion not only for the fabulous fashions, but also for the provocative art installations. It truly was a night where art and fashion met, from the artfully merchandised displays to the fashionable artists. It was especially inspiring to see how the mediums blended together, influenced and complimented one another so well.

  
For more information, please visit, http://www.madisonavenuebid.org/

Images* provided courtesy of Patrick McMullan Company, for more information please visit
http://www.patrickmcmullan.com/

*With the exception of 'Dita Von Teese', courtesy of Kim Dane for more information please visit http://www.kimdane.com/