Balenziaga, Dior and Fath: Haute Couture’s Holy trinity

Haute Couture is an art form, inseparable from fashion, that achieved some of its finest moments during the years following World War II. During this period, Paris reaffirmed its position as the Capital of Fashion and its reputation for producing the most luxurious and creative clothes money could buy. Three names became synonymous with luxury, glamour and elegance during haute couture's most exclusive and fertile period - Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga and Jacques Fath. Undisputed masters of mid 20th century haute couture, Cristóbal Balenciaga was the father of Contemporary fashion, Christian Dior redefined post-war fashion in 1947 with his ‘New Look’ and Jacques Fath, now relatively unknown, was an innovator known for dressing "the chic young Parisienne". This lecture explores the life and creative output of three designers during the period widely considered as the zenith of French haute couture.

How to book this event:

Booking not required. Doors open at 6:30pm for refreshments. Lecture at 7pm (one hour). Guests are always welcome £7 cash on the door or use one of your tokens. Available to purchase £15 for 3 tokens.

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

Mr Scott Schiavone

Scott William Schiavone is a Fashion Historian and Curator. Scott is both University of Glasgow and London College of Fashion alumni having graduated from the MA (Hons) History of Art and MA Fashion Curation in 2004 and 2010 respectively. Scott has worked with fashion and textile collections across the UK including Glasgow Museums, National Museums Scotland and The Fan Museum in Greenwich. Scott recently relocated to Preston to join the Curatorial team leading the HarrisYourPlace project at The Harris Museum & Art Gallery, a £10.4 million Heritage Lottery Funded project that will transform The Harris into a community lead centre for arts and culture. In 2020, Scott launched his YouTube channel Fashion &… which now has over 4,500 subscribers. Scott is interested in manifestations of luxury and excess across the fashion timeline. His areas of expertise are nineteenth century womenswear, marginalised social histories of fashion, the 1970s and 80s and the rise of the superstar designer.

GALLERY