Inspirational Pause #2.......AGO

I want to thank Ingrid of Fashion is My Muse for blogging about the fantastic Surreal exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. We spent a delightful afternoon yesterday in Toronto at the AGO taking in the fabulous examples of art, fashion, furnishings, jewelry and
accessories that had all been part of the surrealistic movement.

I want to go back and see more. My head was swimming with all the fabulous exhibits, however I know I missed things. So many artists were represented, as well as fashion designers. My absolute favorite is Elsa Schiaparelli and I could have studied her
gowns for hours.

Silk chiffon "torn" dress - collaboration with Dali

Skeleton dress, another collaboration with Dali

Long Black coat with 'vase' embroidery and applied roses on the back - collaboration with Jean Cocteau

Pieced wool felt "harlequin" coat

handsewn plaited gold braid coat and cape

The above are just a few examples of Schiap's designs that are on exhibit. Another favorite of mine is Charles James, who had several gowns and this very 80s looking jacket:

Not to be outdone in the fashion section, there was Dali's "Aphrodisiac" Jacket:

There were costumes from the Ballet Russes.....a couple of them below:

Along with some wonderful painted wardrobes and other pieces of furniture, there was this corset chair by Leonor Fini:

There was so much to see in this exhibit alone, that we had very little time to see some of the other exhibits. The AGO is a huge place and well worth a whole day visit. Numerous paintings by masters, including some of the Pre-Raphelites, sculpture, some fascinating and quirky installations, just sooooo much......I'm definitely planning a trip back!

I will end this with a picture of Dali's lobster phone.......

Obviously, this exhibit has nothing to do with dolls, however art of any kind can be inspiring and feed the creative juices and yesterday definitely proved that!