Two weekends ago I was in Manhattan and finally had the chance to go to the exhibit of Barbara Berger's fashion jewelry collection at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD). The exhibit opened this past June and I have been dying to get there. It did not disappoint! It was like arriving at Mecca. Everywhere you look there are AH-mazing one-of-a-kind costume jewelry pieces - 450 to be exact out of Berger's collection of over 4,000.
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| Vintage Chanel Necklaces by Maison Gripoix |
The pieces were produced from the 1920s until today and include examples from Balenciaga, Valentino, Chanel, Dior, Miriam Haskell, Yves Saint Laurent, and many other one-of-a-kind runway pieces.
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| Lobster brooch by Iradj Moini |
It is interesting that Berger has decided to collect costume jewelry as she is the daughter of a New York diamond dealer and the wife of a Mexican fine-jewelry designer.
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| Chanel Cruciform Brooch 1990 |
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| Miriam Haskell c. 1950 |
Berger does appreciate fine jewelry, "But in fine jewelry, you're limited," she said. "The most fabulous, extravagant, the very baroque is fashion jewelry."
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| Toucan Brooch by Isabel Canovas mid 1980s |
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| Lanvin by Roger Scemama c. 1950 |
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| Coppola e Toppo |
In a Wall Street Journal article written by Sara Clemence, Berger says that she spends 1/3 of her year searching for pieces for her collection. "When I travel, my first stop is always the market," she said. "There's always a march aux puces in every city in the world."
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| Chanel Bracelet by Maison Gripoix 1993 |
The exhibition runs until January 20, 2014. If you have the opportunity, run don't walk to get there!
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| Chanel Necklace 1983 |
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| Cat earrings by Niki de Saint Phalle, 1989 |
There is also a fabulous book that accompanies the exhibition called, Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger published by Assouline.
