In Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection

Bolton, Andrew, Preface and Interview; Jessica Regan and Mellissa Huber
2019
204 pages
174 illustrations
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In Pursuit of Fashion presents outstanding works from the greatest private collection of twentieth-century fashion and explores the modern discipline of fashion collecting. This unique group of ensembles and accessories, assembled over several decades by Sandy Schreier, includes many rare and historically significant pieces that define key moments in fashion and features not only iconic works by established designers but also looks by pioneering couturiers rarely represented in museum collections. These remarkable objects, by designers including Gilbert Adrian, Cristobal Balenciaga, Boué Soeurs, Gabrielle Chanel, Christian Dior, Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, Maria Gallenga, Karl Lagerfeld, Paul Poiret, and Madeleine Vionnet, are illustrated with stunning new photography by fashion photographer Nicholas Alan Cope.

Schreier is a pioneer in the field of collecting fashion. Her interest began at a time when collecting and treating these creations as an art form was rare. She amassed a staggering breadth of work that reflects her wide-ranging taste and connoisseurship. An informative introduction discusses the unique evolution of Schreier’s collecting in parallel with a developing field. The book also includes descriptions of more than eighty works, including rare works on paper, as well as a lively interview with Schreier that traces the progress of her collecting from its roots in Detroit to the present day.

Met Art in Publication

Ensemble, Wiener Werkstätte, (a) leather, silk, fur; (b) fur, Austrian
Wiener Werkstätte
late 1910s–20s
Evening dress, Gilbert Adrian  American, rayon, glass, plastic (cellulose acetate), American
Gilbert Adrian
1946
Evening dress, House of Balmain  French, silk, French
House of Balmain
fall/winter 1957–58
"Bataille", Paul Poiret  French, silk, glass, cellulose, French
Paul Poiret
1925
Evening dress, House of Chanel  French, silk, French
House of Chanel
spring/summer 1935
Evening dress, House of Paquin  French, silk, French
House of Paquin
summer 1937
Hat, Gilbert Adrian  American, straw, silk, American
Gilbert Adrian
ca. 1943
Parasol, Paul Poiret  French, silk, wood, French
Paul Poiret
spring/summer 1914
Georges Lepape
1911

Citation

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Regan, Jessica, and Melissa Huber. 2019. The Sandy Schreier Collection. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.