Last Call for The Oscar de la Renta Retrospective

Sarah Jessica Parker and Taylor Swift's 2014 Met Gala gowns form part of the marvelous Oscar de la Renta retrospective currently showing at San Francisco's
de Young Museum 

Photo: Chronica Domus

Nota bene: Please excuse the rather shoddy photographs that accompany this post. Flash photography, for obvious reasons, was prohibited.

My teenage daughter Patience finally convinced me to do something no other person has managed to accomplish since 2005.  She asked me to take her to the de Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park to view the Oscar de la Renta world premier retrospective.  Now, let me get something off my chest before I return to the subject at hand.  I have had occasion to darken the doors of the newly constructed museum on just one occasion since it replaced the beautiful old building, which was sadly demolished. At that time, I experienced such an adverse reaction to the oppressive appearance of the new building's exterior, and dysfunctional interior space, that I vowed never to step foot inside the place again. Well, eleven years later, I find myself sharing this tale with you and reluctantly returning, all in the name of motherly love.  How's that for never saying never!

Despite my strong opinions of the museum's architecture, this really is a must-see retrospective. I suggest you too hot foot it into town for a gander before things wrap up in just a few short days (May 30th to be exact). Gazing upon one-hundred and thirty beautifully designed and constructed pieces of haute couture greatly eased my discomfort at having to return to this frightful building.  Frankly, just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine, and not in a good way either. Here is an example of what I mean ...

The grim museum tower looms ominously beyond the park's mature trees

Photo: Chronica Domus

... and, things only worsen as one approaches the building:

Am I about to enter an art museum (can I even find a doorway?), a futuristic copper-clad prison, or a reject from the set of Battlestar Gallactica?

Photo: Chronica Domus

Thank goodness the retrospective was tucked away downstairs in the Herbst Exhibition Galleries where one could ignore the disjointed space of the remainder of the museum with its odd little corners that lead you to, well ...nowhere. Oh how I miss the old grand entrance, the elegance of the building's architectural style, and the ease of flow through the galleries.

Photographed in 1925, the old de Young museum building received some updates during the 1940s but was sadly demolished to make way for the new discombobulated structure

Source

Now that I've got that off my chest, we can return to the subject at hand, Mr. de la Renta's dreamy creations.  Patience and I were happily whisked away to the glamorous and rarefied world of high fashion, glitz, and feminine glamour as we meandered through the exhibition. André Leon Talley did an outstanding job of showcasing the designer's creations which are viewed in five themed galleries. Examples of  Mr. de la Renta's clothing spanned the entirety of his storied career, beginning in the early 1960's in New York  ...

Photo: Chronica Domus

... right the way through to his final Met Gala confections.

Nicki Minaj never looked so good as when dressed by Mr. de la Renta in a billowy green taffeta gown

Photo: Chronica Domus

The galleries were curated with an eye towards the designer's Spanish-influenced creations ...

Photo: Chronica Domus

... and his Russian phase, reflecting Konstantin Makovsky's painting, The Russian Bride's Attire  ...

Photo: Chronica Domus

An extraordinary custom wedding ensemble from 1985 in burgundy silk velvet and taffeta

Photo: Chronica Domus

Eastern cultures were also represented ...

Sable tail trimmed pants and a red silk crepe de chine tunic worn by the New York
socialite Nan Kempner 

Photo: Chronica Domus

A witty recreation of Vogue's December 2010 spread showcasing emerging models from Japan, South Korea, and China held center court in a gallery of its own to great dramatic effect.

 Photo: Chronica Domus

Below is the original published photograph taken by Steven Meisel, which was itself based on Cecil Beaton's 1948 photograph of dresses designed by Charles James.

Source

Alas, all these visions of glorious sugarplum ballgowns made me hanker for an opportunity to dress to the nines in beguiling confections and dance the night away on the arm of a handsome stranger. Ah well, a girl can certainly dream; gardening attire is more my style nowadays.  The great outdoors inspired Mr. de la Renta in creating these glamorous floral themed dresses, presented here in a tranquil light-filled gallery complete with wall projections of inspiring luscious formal gardens.

Of course, my own gardening togs are not too dissimilar to these delightful gowns (notice the blue wheelbarrow in the background conveying the obvious hard graft performed by these elegant creatures)

Photo: Chronica Domus

What spurred my teenage daughter's interest in viewing this exhibition was her keen interest in learning about the fashion trends of the 1940s through the early 1960s.  She was particularly taken with the selection of gowns on display which demonstrate that great style was still achievable in the latter decades of the twentieth century and into the present day. Like many teenage girls, Patience is an adoring fan of the songstress Taylor Swift, who always displays her fashion credentials impeccably at splashy events.  I mention Miss Swift because below is a snap shot of the exquisite pink gown she wore to the 2014 Met Gala.  As you can see, Patience is one happy starstruck fashionista.

Photo: Chronica Domus

And, as every good museum goer knows, one must always exit through the gift shop. Yesterday was no exception.

"Look mummy, it's Taylor in Oscar's dress"

Patience caught flipping through the Oscar de la Renta exhibition catalog and having her breath taken away by that dress, yet again!

Photo: Chronica Domus

If you find yourself in town this long holiday weekend, I encourage you to make plans to visit this marvelous show and discover why Oscar de la Renta is one of fashion's greatest icons.  I'm not sure where this exhibit will land next, but Bay Area residents and visitors alike have until Monday to feast their eyes on the most gorgeous works of wearable art created in fabric.

A Fondness For Rhubarb

One of the glories of spring, at least for me, is the appearance of the season's first rosy stalks of rhubarb available at the market. This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of excitedly filling my wicker basket with almost three pounds of the stuff during a jaunt to the city's most popular farmers' market. What a lucky girl I am!

Photo: Chronica Domus

I love the taste of rhubarb and have since childhood.  I recall my favorite school dinners - or the midday meal we British children erroneously knew as such - coming to a delightful close whenever rhubarb crumble was served for pudding dessert.  Lashings of hot custard would gleefully be poured atop the crumble making for an even more decadent treat. Today, while I still adore rhubarb crumble, puddles of cool heavy cream have taken the place of the custard.

Rhubarb with custard was such a popular childhood treat that whenever I found myself, along with my two sisters, down at the local sweet shop with five pennies worth of spending power to hand, I would always load up my white paper baggie with old-fashioned rhubarb and custard hard boiled sweets. While my sisters took their dear time in making their confectionery selections - which I'm certain must have driven the poor shopkeeper to distraction - I was always the decisive one.

"Oh, I'll take one of those and two of these please"

Source

Even today, whenever I travel to England, I still pack a couple of small bags of these childhood indulgences into my hand luggage for the journey back to California. Old habits truly do die hard.

For reasons I cannot fathom, rhubarb is not as popular in the United States as it is in England. Perhaps its piquant tangy flavor fails to appeal to the masses.  Or, might it be the fact that the leaves of rhubarb are deleterious if consumed, scaring some away from experimenting with it in the kitchen? Rhubarb was first introduced into the United States during the late-eighteenth century by a European farmer in Maine.  Over time, it became a popular pie filling, earning its nickname of "pie plant". Curiously, on the few occasions I have spotted rhubarb making an appearance in a pie recipe, or for that matter in jam form, it has always been accompanied by strawberries to sweeten the deal.  I am most decidedly not a fan!  In my ever-so-humble opinion, rhubarb should always remain the star of the show; a rosy leading lady deserving of her own uncrowded stage.

Although rhubarb is by definition a vegetable, it is treated as a fruit in the culinary world.  Sugar is rhubarb's best friend.  Believe me when I say that even though I am a fan of tart and acidic flavors, dousing rhubarb in heaps of sugar barely makes a dent to its mouth-puckering powers.

I would feel as though I have done a good deed were I to persuade you to try this spring vegetable for yourself the next time you stumble upon it at your local market.  I'm certain that once you've sampled the deliciously fragrant and fleshy stalks, cooked into an easy-to-make crumble, you too will wake up to rhubarb's tarty pleasures.

Chopped and in the pan, the rhubarb is ready to be enrobed in heaps of sugar and butter over the heat of a low flame

Photo: Chronica Domus

If you find yourself making the rhubarb crumble recipe found here, I suggest you double the amount of sugar required for the filling as I find the extra sweetness more capably manages to balance the tartness of the rhubarb.  Oh, and there is no need to seek out the super-fine sugar that is called for in the recipe.  The granulated variety works just as well.

Even a child can make this easy peasy crumble topping

Photo: Chronica Domus

A generous helping of rhubarb crumble ready to be bathed in heavy cream and washed down with a pot of French pressed coffee - what a delightful Sunday afternoon treat!

Photo: Chronica Domus

Tell me, have you had occasion to sample rhubarb and if so, how was it prepared and what did you think of it?

Signs of Life

As much as I anticipate the arrival of the more familiar harbingers of spring, few things can compare to the joy these little fellows bring to my life.

Photo: Chronica Domus

I happened upon them two weeks back as they reveled in the early afternoon dappled light created by the weeping willows that line a small local lake.  Fresh from what must surely have been one of their earliest swimming lessons, courtesy of their attentive mother, the five student goslings waddled shakily onto terra firma and to the safety of the grassy verge.

Mother Goose and her five goslings in training
Photo: Chronica Domus

Photo: Chronica Domus

I realized, while captivated by this annual sighting of goslings, that spring was once again in full force.  I also grasped the fact that my year had slipped by, all pell-mell and topsy-turvy. Was it really the ides of  May already?

Photo: Chronica Domus

These tiny signs of new life remind me that it's time to bring some order to my world and get back to the pleasurable pursuit of blogging on a more regular schedule.

Photo: Chronica Domus

So, here I am.  I do hope you'd like to waddle along for the ride as I put finger to keyboard and attempt to chronicle some of life's more pleasant moments...as I see them.

Hope springs eternal.