WAG spent this past Friday afternoon at The Museum at FIT.
That fact alone lets you know it was a good day, since the museum’s exhibitions are always so well done.
But this time, walking through “Proust’s Muse, The Countess Greffulhe” in the Special Exhibitions Gallery was a distinct treat.
The exhibition features some 40 fashions and accessories from the wardrobe of Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay (1860-1952).
A famous beauty known for her elegance and taste, she captivated her contemporaries, including Marcel Proust. When he wrote his landmark “In Search of Lost Time (À la recherche du temps perdu),” the Countess was a primary inspiration for Oriane, the Duchess of Guermantes.
The exhibition, which we’ll explore in our December issue, is filled with highlights including the famed “Lily Dress,” “Russian cape” and countless other designs that will have you daydreaming of an earlier, oh-so-elegant time.
I know I was imagining myself in quite a few of the fashions, and I bet you will, too, if you visit the exhibition, which continues through Jan. 7.
For more, visit fitnyc.edu/museum.
– Mary Shustack
