By Lorial Francis of www.decodame.comThe world has been mesmerized by fashion since the earliest tailors realized clothing's cut and color could flatter the wearer. By the time the late 19th century arrived, high society was the showcase of the world's fashion sense, and the 20th-century brought fashion statements made by women of means wearing labels from some of history's finest designers.
Elizabeth Parke Firestone and her husband, Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., on their 25th wedding anniversary, celebrated at the Ritz-Carlton, New York City, June 25, 1946.This dynamic era of highstyle fashion takes center stage in the flexible gallery of Henry Ford Museum in a limited engagement featuring the collections of The Henry Ford. Vintage Couture: The 1920s -1960s Fashions of Elizabeth Parke Firestone is filled with highlights of the early and mid 20th-century fashion industry, as illustrated by the striking clothing owned and worn by Mrs. Firestone in her role as a centerpiece of society -the wife of Harvey Firestone Jr., son of the founder of Firestone Tire & Rubber Company.
Designer fashions have always been expected of social standouts, but never more so than in Mrs. Firestone's time. A woman of her social stature knew that by looking not just good, but great, she was a key professional asset to her husband. This role inspired and often required women to work directly with designers both in the U.S. and abroad to ensure that they had at their disposal the most fashionable of wardrobe items.
This quest for fashionable women's wear is well illustrated in Vintage Couture. Mrs. William Clay Ford, second of four children of Harvey and Elizabeth Parke Firestone, will serve as Guest Curator for the exhibit. Collaborating with Nancy Villa Bryk, curator for The Henry Ford, Mrs. Ford discussed some of her mother's favorite dresses and designers from the collection, and offered input on the choice of dresses for the exhibit. Photos, design drawings, and an extensive selection of items from Mrs. Firestone's impeccable wardrobe will be featured. Bryk observed that, thanks to Mrs. Ford's insights, "Visitors will connect with a half-century of society's history in this exhibit through stunning clothing that was at the forefront of fashion."
The Vintage Couture exhibit, according to Bryk, is not just about the amazing collection of clothing Mrs. Firestone amassed as the wife of a prominent businessman. "While her sense of style was extraordinary and she had the means to acquire top-of-the-line custom-designed clothing, Mrs. Firestone's wardrobe is also a literal fashion show of the best work done by some of the best designers of the time," Bryk said. "Mrs. Firestone had artistic talents and a fine eye for design and fashion, and was an active participant in creating her own look by working with designers to create dresses that suited her figure and her style." All items to be included in the exhibit were owned by Mrs. Firestone, but they are also examples of the larger fashion scene.
Portrait of Elizabeth Parke Firestone by Cecil Beaton used in Vogue magazine.Three mid 20th-century designers stand out among the 50 dresses that along with hundreds of accessories such as hats, handbags, gloves and multiple pairs of matching shoes are featured in Vintage Couture. Two French design houses, Balenciaga and Christian Dior, were favorites of Mrs. Firestone and provided her with ensembles through the 1950s. Bob Bugnand, a French designer who relocated to New York and designed for Jacqueline Kennedy, met many of Mrs. Firestone's design needs for the meticulously tailored clothing of the period. He worked with her to explore color choices beyond her favorite blues, pinks and elegant creamy white in the 1950s-1970s.
Mrs. Firestone's earlier wardrobe, from the 1920s, was filled with the vibrant colors and short, sassy look of the "flapper" era. These and the equally stylish party dresses of the 1930s are Bryk's favorites from the collection. "These clothes are unbelievably gorgeous! Dramatic colors were the choice of this earlier era - lots of orangey reds, corals, aquas and creamy peach. The combinations are just stunning," she said. "And the dresses were obviously designed for dancing, much less structured than later styles." Bryk notes that Mrs. Firestone had a beautifully thin figure, which enabled her to wear these styles with ease.
Fashion moves and changes with every passing decade, and the wardrobe of Elizabeth Parke Firestone reveals the attention she and her peers devoted to keeping up with, and often setting, the pace. "Part of the fun of the exhibit is that it's an exclusive opportunity to compare the changes from the perspective of someone who cultivated examples of the best," said Bryk.
Don't miss this opportunity to get in step with one of the finest parades of fashion in the nation in Vintage Couture: The 1920s-1950s Fashions of Elizabeth Parke Firestone.
Exhibit is open March 4 - July 13 and is free of charge with Membership or Museum Admission.
Article reprinted with permission from The Henry Ford Living History magazine January-April 2005.
