One-of-a-kind art-to-wear evening bag from The Gallery of Wearable Art, New York City. Built on an antique celluloid frame with a chain-link handle, the front layers floral tapestry with antique lace, an Irish crochet rose, crocheted bobble drops, cross-stitch roses, silk ribbon rosettes and mauve velvet bows, all finished in deep cream bullion fringe. The back is a softly faded floral tapestry.
The story behind the label
Bronnie Storch Kupris opened The Gallery of Wearable Art in New York in the early 1980s, in a duplex shop on the edge of SoHo. Her idea was simple and radical for its time: clothing and accessories as art. She gathered the work of around 300 designer-artists from around the world, and every piece was handmade and one of a kind, from hand-painted coats to hand-beaded and hand-feathered dresses and hats. She believed wearable art never goes out of style the way a trend does, and that if you weren't wearing it, it deserved a place on your wall. The gallery later moved uptown to East 67th Street, just off Madison Avenue.
This bag is a true piece of that vision, never mass-made and never repeated.
Designer: The Gallery of Wearable Art, New York City
Era: Circa 1980s, on an antique celluloid frame
Materials: Floral tapestry, antique lace and crochet, velvet and silk ribbon, celluloid frame and chain
Lining: Cream satin, original label inside
Color: Cream, blush, rose and mauve
Condition: Excellent vintage condition
Measurements
Height: 10"
Width: 11" at widest point
Frame opening: 6.5" wide
Fringe: 5" long
Overall length: 20" from top of chain to bottom of fringe
