Rudi Gernreich at The Skirball

Yes, retirement is GREAT! I had such a nice day yesterday. My long-time friend, Gayle, invited me to the preview of the Rudi Gernreich exhibit, "Fearless Fashion" at The Skirball Museum.  We had a light lunch at The Bel Air Grill before the preview....light salads, nice menu, excellent atmosphere.

There was a short lecture before the preview which was excellent. The curator told us about Gernreich's life, his influences and how much of a fashion innovator and influencer he was. Many of Gernreich's ideas were way ahead of his time. Every item of clothing in the show could be worn today. The man's designs are timeless!

Special mannequins were designed for this exhibit to mimic the poses of modern dancers

The Duo-tard

Martha Graham Dancers, a great influence on Gernreich

Gernreich used knits in his designs, polyester and sheer fabrics. Many of the pieces were very theatrical. He also instituted gender-neutral designs, along with military influences.

Ease of movement and gender fluidity was most important to Rudi

Gernreich started out as a swimsuit designer. Gayle, in front of Rudi's lingerie designs

Gernreich's most famous design, the Mono-Kini

The exhibit will be up through September 1st. DO SEE IT!

Designer, Rudi Gernreich