The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the De Young is an incredible exhibit of 140 haute couture and ready-to-wear peices, curated for the most part by the designer himself.  The show has been the talk of the San Francisco art and fashion crowd for months and last night, ArtPoint held a gala in honor of Bastille Day.  Cancan dancers entertained, artists sketched outfits, brie and champagne were served, and everyone toasted to the exhibit.

One of my favorite pieces from the exhibit.

In keeping with Gaultier’s gritty ballerinas and the overall Parisian Chic mood for the evening.  I donned a floor length sequin backless dress, but made the look a bit moody with black leather accoutrements and minimal accessories.

Look created on LivingCloset

Studs from Nordstrom (Similar Here); Sequin Dress by ABS (Similar Here); Panther Ring by BCBG (Similar Here); Leather Jacket by Mango; Clutch by Alexander Wang; Covered Platforms by Ann Taylor (Similar Here)

The post What I wore to an evening with Jean Paul Gaultier appeared first on Q the Stylist.

Left: Bolero of garnet velvet and black jet embroidery, winter 1947. Collection of The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Photograph by Craig McDean. Center: Detail of evening bolero jacket of burgundy silk velvet and jet and passementerie embroidery by Bataille, winter 1946. Collection of Hamish Bowles. Photo by Kenny Komer. Right: Scarlet silk ottoman evening coat with capelet collar, autumn/winter 1954–1955. Collection of The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photograph by Craig McDean

How can  you leave the streets of San Francisco and quickly enter into a piece of Heaven?

My answer, a visit to Balenciaga and Spain at the De Young.  In all honesty, there are no words to explain how visually exquisite this exhibition was.

My eyes couldn’t take in all the beauty.  The integrated textiles, details, and fusion of intense design in which all these garments were created shows what an incredible genius Cristóbal Balenciaga was and still lives on in our everyday design esthetics.

Cristóbal was quite the jet-setter for those days and those long trips abroad offered him access to textiles and trades from India, Germany, and China by way of the Philippines.  The inspiration lead to experimentation that brought together rich color, conscientious hand, and visual details to his creations.

There were many moments that I stood in complete awe of Balenciaga’s world and mind.

It’s incredible to imagine what more he could have done now that we have unlimited access to trades and textiles from around the world?

The post Cristóbal Balenciaga stole my heart in San Francisco appeared first on Q the Stylist.