“Scassi: American Couturier” Exhibit Museum Of Fine Arts

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston  celebrates  their acquisition 100 pieces  of  the designer Arnold Scaasi  with a glorious exhibit. Arnold Scaasi, who began his business in New York in the mid-1950s was one of the few New York designers to concentrate on custom-made clothing rather than ready-to-wear. “Scaasi: American Couturier” explores the designer’s relationship with his clients and how the garments created for them suited their lifestyles and helped them to establish a strong public image, whether it was the youthful sophistication of Barbra Streisand, the fashionable and always appropriately dressed first lady Mamie Eisenhower, or the extraordinarily beautiful and feminine Elizabeth Taylor. The exhibition will feature several garments made for his most famous client, Barbra Streisand, including the custom-made and now infamous black sequined pantsuit that, under the lights of the Oscar stage, appeared see-through. Also on display will be clothing worn by Arlene Francis, Mrs. Joseph Norban (whose husband was a part owner of the famed nightclub El Morocco), and Mrs. Saul Steinberg, one of New York’s most photographed women during the 1980s and 1990s. September 25, 2010 – June 19, 2011