Phoenix Art Museum is marking the 60th anniversary of its fashion collection with ‘Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion’, an installation of brightly colored garments and whimsical accessories in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Galleries. The exhibition brings together couture, ready-to-wear, historic accessories and contemporary fashion, presenting color as a medium for mood, storytelling and creative expression.
Arranged across a runway of vibrant hues, the installation includes designs by Hubert de Givenchy, Olivier Lapidus, Tina Leser and Giorgio di Sant’Angelo. Among the featured objects are Givenchy’s early-1960s evening dress and coat, made from silk gazar and dyed ostrich feathers, and a Christian Dior ballgown from the spring/summer 1957 collection in silk faille taffeta. The display also includes an ostrich-feather fan dating from 1920–1929 and Daniel Roseberry’s ‘Stilettos’ for Schiaparelli, made in 2024 from leather, silk satin, and gold- and silver-plated formed metal.
The presentation extends beyond full-scale garments to the smaller objects in the museum’s holdings. Judith Leiber pillboxes covered in multicolored crystals, psychedelic scarves and shoes with references to Egyptian gold and graffiti are included alongside gowns and dresses. The museum describes the installation as a presentation of North American and European design, spanning historical examples and newer acquisitions, including work by The Son of Picasso, a Native American artist of Kiowa, Taos Pueblo, Diné (Navajo) and Delaware descent.
Phoenix Art Museum began collecting fashion in 1966, the year the Arizona Costume Institute was founded to support the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance. The collection now contains more than 9,000 objects dating from the 18th century to the present. It also encompasses four special archives: Paper Dress, the Geoffrey Beene Archive, the Emphatics Archive and the Ann Bonfoey Taylor Archive.
The anniversary installation is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion, and Summer Rye, Fashion Curatorial Assistant and Arizona Costume Institute Liaison. The museum says the display will continue with rotating ensembles, the unveiling of a colorful new commission and a catalogue featuring contributions from fashion historians and April Calahan and Cassidy Zachary, hosts of the podcast ‘Dressed: The History of Fashion’.
The exhibition is also the focus of the museum’s Kids Day program on Sunday, September 13, 2026, from noon to 5 p.m. The family program will include wardrobe-craft activities, custom buttons, a fashion photobooth with photographer Kenzie Rich and information about the accompanying ‘Colorwear’ publication. A reading of David McKee’s ‘Elmer’ is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., followed by a Phoenix Symphony performance from 2 to 2:45 p.m. Kids Day is free for members and included with general admission.
