Belt

Bill Blass|Bill Blass Ltd.

1970s–80s · Metal · Costume Institute

An important aspect of Mrs. Kempner's style was her elegant simplicity. Though she had important examples of JAR, Verdura and others, and an extensive collection of costume jewelry from Chanel, Saint Laurent and Kenneth Jay Lane, she was not one to gild the lily, preferring instead to place a few pieces as accents. That did not preclude jewelry of visual authority, however, as a number of large sculptural pieces attests. On rare occasions Mrs. Kempner did resort to a lavish layering of necklaces, often turquoise or coral, to dress up a white shirt and pants. More typical was her incorporation of distinctive belts with prominently articulated closures as a kind of body jewelry. This not only highlighted her lifelong 27 inch waist, but also served to emphasize her fashion drawing proportions by demarcating her torso and establishing the exaggerated length of her legs.

Artist

Bill Blass|Bill Blass Ltd.

Date

1970s–80s

Medium

Metal

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Thomas L. Kempner, 2006