An Eye on Nan Kempner
Diane Vreeland, legendary Vogue editor, once remarked, “There are no chic women in America. The one exception is Nan Kempner.” Socialite, jet-setter, and frequent fashion contributor Nan Kempner not only wore couture—she cultivated it as an art form, if not for an unrivaled sense of style, then for the fact that she had acquired the largest collection of privately owned couture dresses. The new exhibit, “Nan Kempner: American Chic,” at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan, displays pieces from her ready-to-wear and couture collection in what is a veritable array of colors, fabrics, and sweeping ball gowns.
Kempner’s style can be described as an offspring of European and American sensibilities. Kempner understood the European flair for color, elegance, and tailoring, but she was also the first to mix couture with ready-to-wear before other socialites would even dare. The exhibit displays many of her suits and ready-to-wear pieces that embody her casual European elegance, such as a Bill Blass tweed winter coat that is lined with luxurious fur. Some of the standouts in the exhibit are her collection of Madame Grès evening gowns, rich with gorgeous drapery, and a colorful display of ornate jackets ranging from Valentino to Lacroix, perfectly embodying the excess of the ’80s. One of the highlights of the exhibit is the reconstruction of Kempner’s closet, which is built behind the mannequin display. Her closet seems infinite and it is tempting to stare at it forever, trying to discern the treasures.
Kempner is as famous for her relations to everyone in the industry as she is for her unique style. Aside from being a muse to Yves Saint Laurent, she has worked as a contributing editor for French Vogue and a fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar. She is even more famous for her legendary fashion stories. When she was a teenager in Paris, her mother refused to buy her a gown at Christian Dior because it was too expensive. Kempner cried so much that they lowered the price for her. Though the exhibit does not delve into such personal tales, it is these colorful stories that seem to hide behind much of the clothing anyway, inviting observers to step into the life of Kempner—if just for one daunting, breath-taking, vibrant instant.
“Nan Kempner: American Chic”, on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Through March 4.