It was during the 1920’s just before The Great Depression hit that fashion soared with flappers’ raising their hemlines, rouging their knees and framing their faces with spit curls. To the shock of their parents, these styles were very naughty. To showcase that revolutionary era of fashion, the Galleria Dallas has created “Decadence: Fashions from the 1920’s” that will be on exhibition through Sunday, February 28, on the ground level across from Tiffany & Co. To kick things off, a preview party was held on Friday, January 22, with lovers-of-the-cloth in attendance like Rhonda Sargent Chambers, Naila Malik, Kasey Bell, Natalie Westbrook, Venny Etienne, Ashtin Roberston, Charmaine Marshall, Jan Strimple, Ekaterina Kouznetsova, Michael Dylan, Nicholas Moore and Chuck Steelman. Here’s a report from the field:
Over 300 fans of vintage fashion came together at Galleria Dallas to celebrate the grand opening of Decadence: Fashions from the 1920’s. The exhibition, which was created by Galleria Dallas Director of Marketing Martha Hinojosa and curator Ken Weber of Vintage Martini, showcases over 100 pieces of vintage couture from the roaring 20’s.
Hinojosa was glad to be able to provide a donation to the Texas Fashion Collection at the University of North Texas as a part of the exhibition. Garments shown at Decadence come from the Susan Denn and Robert Schmidt collection, as well as the Texas Fashion Collection and several smaller private collections. Additionally, Hinojosa was thrilled to be able to make admission to the exhibition free for the public, as a gift back to North Texans with a love of fashion and history.
Guests at the gala preview were quite impressed at the depth and quality of the exhibition. Fashion luminary Jan Strimple described the exhibit as one of the most important fashion displays in Texas in years. Fashion stylist Dawn Mellon described the collection as being something guests would expect to find at the Louvre or at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Designer Ese Azenabor felt that the exhibition provides a real opportunity for herself and other designers to seek inspiration for future collections.
Guests enjoyed luxe hors d’oeuvres from The Grill on the Alley while sipping bubbly from period coupes. Couples enjoyed a dance to period music from Matt Tolentino and the Singapore Slingers. Many of the fashionable attendees came in 1920’s inspired costume, and others raced to get photos with models dressed in 1920’s fashions.
* Photos provided by Decadence: Fashions from the 1920's
Yvonne Crum says
Love the pic.. it was a wonderful event and I am so glad it goes thru February 28th. still time for all to see…