Date: Fri 06-Mar-1998

Publication: Ant

Author: CAROLL

Quick Words:

Geoffrey

Full Text:

Geoffrey Beene

(with cuts)

By Joel Weber

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- "Geoffrey Beene" at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School

of Design, through April 19, isn't about glamour. But it's glamorous.

It isn't a Beene retrospective. But it does reflect some of the changes and

directions Beene has taken over the years.

This isn't even a big show -- only 35 dresses. But what dresses. It's like

seeing a small show of paintings, each one a masterpiece.

For Pam Parmal, associate curator of costume and textiles at RISD's Museum of

Art, the show is mostly about construction.

Parmal wasn't interested in just another Beene retrospective. Instead,

selections were based on showing cut, technique and textile selection, the

reasons that many believe Beene is the preeminent living American design

talent.

All of the examples are from the Beene archives, not RISD or other museum

collections. Parmal spent a considerable amount of time going through Beene's

extensive archives, selecting each garment, not based on age or period, but on

merit or special construction technique.

Art & Technique

Viewing the RISD show is interesting from several perspectives. Technically

speaking, it's a treasure trove for the visitor who loves clothing design and

construction.

But the garments work on a purely aesthetic level as well. If you just want to

see a great group of garments, you'll love this show. And these aren't

esoteric examples from long ago. The earliest item in the group is a cotton

matelasse evening gown from 1967. Most of the selections are from the 1980s

and 1990s. They are clothes with which the contemporary woman (or man) can

easily identify.

It is an accessible show that is simply mounted. The dresses are beautifully

displayed on mannequins, each making its own statement. In large museum shows

everything is behind glass, or the viewer is roped well away from the object.

At RISD, the Beene dresses are out in the open and can be seen and inspected

up close and personal.

Sexy, Slinky & Sensuous

Selecting a standout from a collection as superb as this is not easy. It may

be the 1995 "Mercury" dress described by Parmal as "... consisting of

continuous crisscrossing bands of silver binding that wrap around the body and

divide it into sections of silver panne velvet and naked flesh." The unusual

drape of the skirt was achieved by cutting the fabric on a straight grain in

front and moving to the bias as it dips in the back.

Triangular insets and curved seams have long been a Beene trademark. One

favorite was a slinky one-shoulder black evening dress with a white wide

curved zipper that snaked up the side of the garment.

Beene & Balenciaga

It is hard to come away from the RISD show without having gained some insight

into Beene's thought process. It is obvious that Geoffrey Beene loves to play

hide and seek with various body parts.

Cristobal Balenciaga, the great Spanish couturier, was the king of Paris in

the 1950s and 1960s. He, too, focused on the sensuality of various body parts.

For Balenciaga it was the inside of the forearm, which led to the

three-quarter sleeve. Also the back of the neck inspired the Balenciaga rolled

collar.

There are other similarities. A 1980s garment in black and white lace had a

strong Balenciaga feel.

Beene is completely independent of the outside pressures of 7th Avenue and the

fashion industry. He is financially secure enough to create in his own

environment. Balenciaga's circumstances were similar. As the acknowledged

"master," he had the same creative freedom. Balenciaga even went so far as to

do his showings 30 days after everyone else.

"Geoffrey Beene isn't unaware of the world around him or fashion's

directions," Parmal said. "He's just better positioned to go his own way."

American Talent

RISD's Beene show makes it quite clear that American design has established

itself as the equal of Paris or London. It's all there, the style, the

technique, the creativity.

At age 72, Beene is showing no sign of slowing down. Why is he still going

strong when others his age have already cashed their 401k. "It's obvious that

he just loves what he does," Parmal said. "When we were going through the

archives, he'd pull a dress he might have done years ago and contemplate it to

see what he might learn from it."

Thoughtful & Incisive

One of the real treasures of the Beene show is the catalogue. Not every dress

is pictured, but RISD did a great job with limited funds. Parmal's analysis of

Beene's career and influences makes this catalogue a must for anyone

interested in collecting fashion.

It is clear, incisive, easy to read and provides thoughtful insight into

Beene's techniques and direction. Parmal traces his career from 1950, when a

young Geoffrey Beene returned to New York from Paris after studying at Ecole

de la Chambre de la Couture and working in Paris as an unpaid apprentice in

the house of Molyneux.

Molyneux was a master tailor and Beene came away from his apprenticeship with,

as Parmal says, "... a reverence for line, an avoidance of excessive detail,

and a desire to make women's clothing more practical."

That is the serious side of Geoffrey Beene. Parmal sees a more whimsical,

Schiaparelli-influenced side of the designer. It's a side that isn't afraid to

use traditional menswear fabrics for evening, or appliques of animals or

cartoon characters on gowns. He also did a football jersey with sequins.

From 1951 to 1963 Beene worked for a number of different companies. He was one

of the first American designers to have his name included in the advertising

and on the label.

For five years, prior to opening under his own name, Beene was the lead

designer for Teal Traina and achieved a great deal of critical acclaim for his

work there.

Secure & Independent

Over the years there have been a number of lines that carried the Beene name.

Beene Bag and Beene Bazaar were two of them. Generally, they were a step down

from his top-end line but still managed to maintain the same sensitivity to

what women wanted, without sacrificing design and construction integrity.

By the end of the 1970s, now famous and financially secure, Beene's direction

changed. While other designers were expanding their lower-end ready-to-wear

lines, Beene was thinking about the kinds of things he really wanted to do.

In 1981 he bought out his last remaining partner and killed his Beene Bag

line. The new direction, in his words, was "to be myself as a designer, not

pleasing anyone other than the women I propose to dress."

Parmal wrote, "Since then Beene has followed his own path, inspired by the

fabrics he uses and the women he dresses. In fact, his clothing over the last

15 years has been a celebration of the female body."

Could one expect less from someone whose career started studying anatomy as a

medical student? Medicine's loss was certainly fashion's gain.

The Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art is at 224 Benefit Street in

Providence. The exhibit is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 pm; and

Fridays, noon to 8 pm. The 32-page illustrated catalogue is $15.95 at the RISD

Museum Shop.