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■ June 2014
■ Covering the Arts throughout the Philadelphia Region
ExhibitionsInSight
Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love By BURT WASSERMAN For 21st Century Media
Woman’s ensemble: Trenchcoat and belt, Spring/ Summer 1989. Patrick Kelly, American (active Paris), c. 1954 - 1990. Printed cotton plain weave. Promised gift of Bjorn Guil Amelan and Bill T. Jones. Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
he off-beat garments conceived by the late Patrick Kelly came out of a lively circus, performing brilliantly inside his imagination. Bright color and clown-like decorative details were brought together in a succession of fantastic, yet tasteful elements, curiously equivalent to the crashing sound of ringing bells. Now, featuring a bold and impressive impact, selected examples of his inspired wearables have been joined together in a dazzling exhibition of unusual styling at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The show, a handsome retrospective of his accomplishments from over the years of his working life, is titled, Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love. It will remain on public view until Nov. 30, 2014. To appreciate how much he was regarded by his peers in the field, one has to understand that Paris, a city that is especially serious about the practice of haute-couture, embraced the American-born Kelly by allowing him to join the ranks of the prestigious Chambre Syndicate, an organization made up
Photograph of Patrick Kelly by Oliviero Toscani. Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. of only the highest echelon of world-class fashion designers, living, working and regularly showing their latest offerings in France. Interestingly, he was the only American ever accorded such recognition by members of that distinguished society. Kelly was born and raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi by his mother, a homeeconomics teacher, and his grandmother. They helped foster his love of fashion by bringing him magazines devoted to the subject. While still in junior high school, he began to design and sew party dresses for
girls in his neighborhood. Later, in high school, he began designing and dressing department store windows and drawing sketches for newspaper advertisements. He studied art formally, first at Jackson State University in the south and afterward, at Parsons School of Design in New York City. In due course, he went to Paris and founded his own fashion house there, in the 1980s. Though he achieved considerable recognition in the French capital, sadly, death claimed him in that locale, on New Year’s Day, 1980 at the age of 35, The cause was a complication that arose as a consequence of contracting AIDS. His distinctive clothing style made use of large, flat shapes on a relatively plain background. In addition, he was very much given to employing large, bright, colorful plastic buttons as decorative accessories for his dresses. In their own unusual way, they served as an identifying trademark for his unique approach. Kelly’s output was sold in America at up-scale retailers including Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman and Bloomingdale’s. His list of clients numbered such wellknown celebrities as Bette Davis, Isabella Rosselini and Cicely Tyson. Besides the appeal of his clothing designs, he also became well-known for wearing colorful, baggy trousers and hand-spraying large painted heart shapes on some of the props that appeared on the runway in the introductory opening-show, annually Please see RUNWAY on 22