Written by Grace Baines
Photos by Taylor Paige Hunt and Grace Baines
The Oscar de la Renta show is up and in full swing at the SCAD Museum of Art and students are eager to catch a glimpse of these historic dresses. As the designer’s first posthumous exhibit, the show has gained national attention and created a new level of excitement in the students. With dresses worn by stars such as Taylor Swift, Oprah and Sarah Jessica Parker, and former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, it almost feels like star-watching as you travel through the exhibit.
Myriah Goiras, Haleemah Campbell and Conrad Neely pose at the show.
The turnout for the student reception was huge — in fact, the museum curators and employees had to let students into the gallery in groups. Simply seeing the line to enter was a bit daunting as it snaked its way toward MLK. Inside the reception area of the museum, a mass of students waited to enter the main gallery. Servers navigated the crowd with food and refreshments, and the museum staff scanned students’ IDs as fast as they could.
While waiting, students talked about Oscar de la Renta and what they hoped to see inside the gallery. For students who had followed his career, this was bigger than some show; it was a chance to see iconic pieces in person for possibly the only time in their life. Devin Osorio, a fourth-year fibers major from New York City, had heard the buzz about the show long before it opened.
“I’ve been hearing about it for quite a while now,” Osorio said. “So suspense momentum has built up.”
The show has 50 dresses displayed in various poses and settings. Students wandered among the dresses, snapping photos with some of the most iconic ones. In a stark comparison to the mass of humanity waiting for admittance, the gallery was quiet and calm, allowing students to get a close and uninterrupted view of the late designer’s work.
Students exited the show through the glass hallway, which had been decorated with potted trees and benches. Some students, including Jessica Daly, a fourth-year fashion major from Washington, D.C., felt that the show had been over-hyped for what it actually contained.
“Little Black Dress was a lot more interesting,” Daly said. “The flower wall — I really wish they’d continued that throughout. That was really awesome.”
Mallory Prevatt, Mekenzie Richardson and Jessica Daly standing outside the SCAD Museum of Art.
Others, such as Mallory Prevatt, a fourth-year fashion marketing major from Savannah, Georgia, enjoyed the exhibit as a whole.
“It was really cool to see some of those dresses in person because I see them in Vogue articles and magazines,” Prevatt said. “It was kind of cool to see it in person.”
“I really liked it” said Haleemah Campbell, a first-year fashion design major from McDonough, Georgia. “It was really different versus what you would see on a stage, like with a model walking down a runway.”
The reception was a hit if the size of the crowd is anything to judge by. While the show was smaller than expected, it offered a glimpse into the life and work of Oscar de la Renta. If students missed the reception, the show will be in the SCAD Museum of Art until May 3.
