The Balenciaga and Spain exhibition at the de Young is getting rave reviews. My sister went last weekend and called his couture fashions breathtaking and architectural.

The exhibition illustrates Balenciaga’s expansive creative vision, which incorporated references to Spanish art, bullfighting, dance, regional costume, and the pageantry of the royal court and religious ceremonies. Balenciaga’s impeccable tailoring, innovative fabric choices, and technical mastery transformed the way the world’s most stylish women dressed.

I’ve got two prize packages to give away, each including a pair of passes and a catalogue from the show. For a chance to win, use the contact us page to email in the answer to the question below:

Q: Name at least one Spanish city in which Balenciaga had a couture house during his career.

Send in your answer by Friday, April 29 at 5pm. We’ll pick two winners at random from the correct entries.

The Balenciaga and Spain exhibition runs until July 4, 2011.

Sarah B.

Cristobal Balenciaga. House photograph of evening ensemble; dress of black silk crepe and
“chou” wrap of black silk gazar, winter 1967.

You might feel under-dressed when you visit the de Young Museum’s latest exhibition, Balenciaga and Spain. That’s because it features the timeless, elegant couture fashions of Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972).

The exhibition illustrates Balenciaga’s expansive creative vision, which incorporated references to Spanish art, bullfighting, dance, regional costume, and the pageantry of the royal court and religious ceremonies. Balenciaga’s impeccable tailoring, innovative fabric choices, and technical mastery transformed the way the world’s most stylish women dressed.

One great fashion icon deserves another, so the exhibition is guest curated by Hamish Bowles, European editor at large of Vogue. It features 120 haute couture garments, hats, and headdresses by Balenciaga. Some of the most iconic pieces include a dress ruffle inspired by the flourish of a flamenco dancer’s bata de cola skirt, an embroidered bolero jacket, and a velvet-trimmed evening gown.

The exhibition was originally conceived last year by Oscar de la Renta, who began his career in fashion working at Balenciaga’s Madrid couture house in the 1950s. For the de Young Museum, the themes were expanded to include twice as many objects, drawn from museum and private collections around the world, some of which have never been seen before. A special loan of seventeen pieces comes from Hamish Bowles’s own collection.

Balenciaga and Spain has six areas of focus that reflect themes from Balenciaga’s thirty year career: Spanish art, dance, bullfighting, religious life, the Spanish court, and regional dress.

As legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland vividly described him, “Balenciaga was the true son of a strong country filled with style, vibrant color, and a fine history,” who “remained forever a Spaniard… His inspiration came from the bullrings, the flamenco dancers, the fishermen in their boots and loose blouses, the glories of the church, and the cool of the cloisters and monasteries. He took their colors, their cuts, then festooned them to his own taste.”

The Balenciaga and Spain exhibition is open now at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park until July 4, 2011. Admission to the show is $25 for adults, $22 for seniors 65+, $21 for students with current ID, and $15 youth 6–17. Admission is free for museum members and children 5 and under.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the museum, and also include admission to the special exhibition Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico.

And don’t worry, black tie is not required for admission though I’m sure Señor Balenciaga would appreciate the gesture.

Sarah B.

Cristobal Balenciaga. House photograph of evening ensemble; dress of black silk crepe and
“chou” wrap of black silk gazar, winter 1967.

Cristobal Balenciaga. Evening bolero jacket of burgundy silk velvet and jet and
passementerie embroidery by Bataille, winter 1946.

Cristobal Balenciaga. Evening ensemble of black silk gazar and wool, ca. 1951.

The California Academy of Sciences has a new hatchery exhibit going on, where you can observe chicken eggs as they incubate and eventually hatch.

Chicken eggs hatch 21 days after fertilization; an incubator keeps the eggs uniformly warm and moist leading up to hatching. The right temperature and humidity keeps the embryos developing normally with proper levels of fluids and gases. Once they hatch, chicks are then kept in the hatcher for the first 24 hours to rest and dry. They are then kept in a brooder for 5-8 weeks until they grow feathers.

And no, these little fuzzy lovelies won’t be dyed with fashionable colors like some chicks during this Easter season.

The exhibit will be on display in the Academy’s Piazza from March 14 – April 24, 2011.

Sarah B.

An arrangement by Laurel Winzler inspired by La Virgen and Colored Boxes by Rupert Garcia

I stopped in on Friday night to check out the Bouquets to Art exhibition, where floral designers create arrangement to accompany pieces from the de Young Museum’s permanent collection.

It was my first visit to the exhibition which ran from Tuesday through Saturday and wow, I was overwhelmed with the dozens of displays. Room after room of beautiful art and gorgeous flower arrangements which really, were more like floral sculptures.

There was a fabulous Superman, a flowing Niagara Falls, and even a flower-studded Balenciaga dress in honor of the de Young’s upcoming Balenciaga and Spain exhibition which opens next Saturday.

We also had a neighborhood floral designer who participated in the show. The photo above shows a floral interpretation of Rupert Garcia‘s La Virgen and Colored Boxes (2002) which can be seen in the background. The design is by Richmond District resident Laurel Winzler of Laurel Designs. Thanks to RichmondSFBlog reader Joseph for the tip.

Check out the slideshow below to see some of the gorgeous flowers that filled up the de Young this week.

Sarah B.

Congratulations to RichmondSFBlog readers Presley M., Chiara W., and Adrienne E.! They each won a pair of passes to the de Young’s “Bouquets to Arts” exhibition, taking place next week from March 15 through March 19. Thanks to everyone who sent in their favorite Richmond District florist for a chance to win.

The exhibition features over 140 floral arrangements by prominent Bay Area designers and garden clubs that both interpret and complement the museum’s permanent collection.

If you didn’t win but still want to make it to the show, tickets are available online.

If you’re a de Young Museum member, entry is free – just pick up your tickets at the box office when you get there. Plus on the night of Wednesday, March 16 from 6pm until 8pm, there’s a special members-only event.

For more information, visit the Bouquets to Art 2011 website.

Sarah B.

It’s been a long time since a first lady’s fashion choices have been under as much scrutiny as Michelle Obama’s. Is she showing her shoulders? Is her hem line too short? Did she really permit her husband to wear flip flops in Hawaii?!?

Next Saturday, the de Young Museum will host Kate Betts, the author of the new book “Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style”. Betts is a contributing editor at Time magazine and the former editor of Time Style and Design, editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar and fashion news director at Vogue.

The lecture, which begins at 4pm, looks at how first ladies, including Dolley Madison, Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama, have affected American style and changed the way women in this country dress.

Betts will also sign books before the lecture, starting at 2pm in the Piazzoni Murals Room.

Tickets for the lecture are $20 for the public and $15 for FAMSF members; they can be purchased online at tickets.famsf.org. Museum admission is not required for entry to the lecture.

Sarah B.

Do you like fine art? Do you like flowers? Then you won’t want to miss this year’s Bouquets to Art exhibition at the de Young, where the museum will display over 140 floral arrangements by prominent Bay Area designers and garden clubs that both interpret and complement the museum’s permanent collection.

The week long celebration of art and flora is the largest fundraiser held by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco to bring in funds to support acquisitions, special exhibitions and education programs.

Bouquets to Arts is also considered one of the country’s premier floral events. In addition to the fabulous exhibition, a swanky opening gala (pics from last year’s event), the museum will also host a series of events during the week where six prestigious floral design experts create arrangements onstage while discussing style, trends, and tricks of the trade. The programs range from “London Calling: Flower Trends From Across the Pond” to “Love of People, Flowers and Nature” from Ikebana specialist Soho Sakai.

We were lucky enough to receive three pairs of passes to Bouquets to Art 2011 from the de Young which we’re giving away to readers. To enter for a chance to win, just use the contact form to send us an email with the name and address of any flower store in the Richmond District. Winners will be drawn randomly from correct entries. Deadline for entries is March 7, 2011 at 5pm.

Even if you don’t win, be sure to make it to the de Young to see the exhibition. It runs from March 15th through the 19th, with hours on Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30am until 5:15pm, and extended hours on Friday, March 18 until 8:45pm.

If you’re a member, there is a special members-only night on Wednesday, March 16 from 6–8pm. Museum members receive free admission, and do not need to make advance reservations for admission. Just pick up your tickets at the membership desk on the day of your visit.

Tickets ($11 to $21) for Bouquets to Art 2011 can be purchased online at the de Young website, or from the museum box office.

Sarah B.

Winner in the Land Life category: Adam Fink

For Valentine’s Day this year, the California Academy of Sciences held a “Love Life” photo contest, inviting visitors to submit their favorite photos from their trips to the museum. The winners were announced recently.

They received 3,600 entries capturing everything from penguins to jellyfish to insects (and a few random shots from Flickr users who are incorrectly tagging their photos). Check them out below.

The photos are fun to look at and a great reminder of this fascinating place that sits in our backyard.

Sarah B.