Lauren Bacall had agreed to a retrospective exhibition, as long as it met Diana Vreeland's standards.
Lauren Bacall never forgot her humble beginnings as a model from The Bronx, New York. Now, the industry is paying tribute to her iconic style in a retrospective exhibition at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
Bacall had donated some 700 personal garments to the New York university when Valerie Steele, director of The Museum at FIT asked Bacall if she could turn her collection into an exhibition. ‘She said, “Yes, it's fine, as long as it's high quality — Diana Vreeland style,”’ Steele told the AP.
In 1943, Diana Vreeland put Bacall on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar at just 19, opening the gates of Hollywood to the teen, who would become one of the most iconic actresses on the silver screen.
The exhibition will feature pieces from Bacall’s extensive warbrobe from the 1950s and 60s and will focus on her most-loved designers, Norman Norell, Marc Bohan, Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent and Ungaro.
'She wore the dress or the pants. They didn't wear her,' said Steele. 'Some of what she wore didn't look prim but it might have on others. Sometimes it was conservative-looking, but she wore it with such panache. It was a combination of Hollywood feminine glamour and masculine, androgynous insouciance and power.'
The FIT exhibition is set to open next spring.