FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 23, 2007
Contact: Morgan Devlin
Newport Restoration Foundation
401-849-7300 x14
morgan@newportrestoration.org
Doris Duke’s Wardrobe on Display: A Collection of Couture Fit for an Heiress
(Newport, RI) Known for her style and glamour, the willowy heiress Doris Duke was a designer's dream. Admire designs from top fashion houses frequented by Doris Duke such as Yves St. Laurent, Chanel, Christian Dior, and Halston in The Look! Doris Duke’s Day & Evening Wear, a new exhibit at Rough Point in Newport, RI. Opening on April 12, 2007, this exhibition showcases items from Miss Duke’s wardrobe between the 1930 and the 1980s.
Displayed in two galleries, The Look! presents 26 outfits, all of which are on view to the public for the first time. Photographs of Miss Duke wearing several of the outfits will be included in the exhibit, along with a sampling of handbags, hats, shoes and other accessories. Highlights of the collection include a circa 1978 feather trimmed white satin cape by Tam, a 1959 Christian Dior white satin suit, an Yves St. Laurent white quilted dress with rhinestones from the 1960s, and a blue beaded pantsuit by Halston from 1981.
The Look! explores the changing fashion dictates on what was appropriate for day wear versus evening wear. Between 1930 and the late 1960s, a well-to-do woman might have to change her outfit two or three times in order to accommodate a full day of shopping, luncheons, meetings, cocktails, and dinner. By the 1970s, the combined forces of the women’s liberation movement and the recession led to a rejection of designers’ demands that women change hemlines every season. Working women embraced pants as acceptable daytime attire and daring socialites were already wearing them for evening activities. Free from the rigid rules, women were frequently able to wear an ensemble throughout the course of an entire day and make the transition from day to night with a mere change of accessories.
Twice named to ‘best dressed’ lists, Doris Duke lived much of her life in the public eye. On exhibit are clothes she would have worn to go out into society – whether to a café or a nightclub – not the casual outfits she wore in the privacy of her home. As a woman who had the means to choose between custom designed couture and ready-to-wear clothing, Doris Duke’s choices reflect her unique style as well as changing fashion trends.
The Look! is on display in two galleries at Rough Point and is part of a complete guided tour of the house. Rough Point will be open for the 2007 season from April 12–November 10. From April 12–May 12, tours are offered Thursday-Saturday from 9:45 am - 1:45 pm. From May 15 – November 10, a full schedule is offered Tuesday-Saturday from 9:45 am - 3:45 pm. Tickets cost $25 for adults. Children under 12 are admitted free. Advance reservations are recommended due to the limited tour size and can be made online at www.newportrestoration.org. Tickets are also available for purchase at Rough Point. For more information or to book a group tour, contact Barbara Schlubach at (401) 849-7300 x10 or Barbara@newportrestoration.org.
Rough Point was willed to the Newport Restoration Foundation by Doris Duke upon her death in 1993 with the request that it be opened to the public as a museum. Founded by Miss Duke in 1968, the Newport Restoration Foundation, a non-profit institution, was formed for the purpose of preserving, interpreting, and maintaining landscape and objects reflecting Aquidneck Island’s 18th and 19th century architectural culture. The foundation continues to be actively engaged in educational efforts, scholarly research and historic preservation.
# # #
