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The Gardens of Mien Ruys - a book review

I don't know how I missed her, but I was totally unfamiliar with Mien Ruys. A beautiful new book The Gardens of Mien Ruys details her life and work. Born in the Netherlands in 1904, she was the daughter of Bonne Ruys, who founded Moerheim Nursery in 1888. She grew up in a liberal atmosphere and encouraged to learn and study. She found great comfort in the natural world around her and learned all the plants in her father's nursery at a young age. After leaving school at the age of 19, she knew that she wanted to work in the garden center. The Moerheim Nursery, in addition to selling plants, had an on-site design studio where they published a detailed catalog and sold landscape design plans to customers. It was in the design studio where Ruys first began to work and she was soon encouraged to venture beyond her country and study abroad. Her father's connections helped her secure a traineeship with Wallace & Sons Nursery in Tunbridge Wells in England. There, she met Gertr...
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The Golden Age of Couture Exhibit

Michael and I and our friend Cindy went to Nashville yesterday for the final day of the Golden Age of Couture Exhibit. We actually went on Labor Day at the spur of the moment and enjoyed it so much that we wanted to go back before the exhibit left. Nashville was the only city in the United States where the exhibit was held.

Michael likes fashion the way I like gardening but I was pleasantly surprised and fascinated by what we saw and I even learned a few things. Cameras were not allowed inside the gallery so I borrowed these from the Internet.

The exhibit featured dresses from the late 1940s and 1950s from such designers as Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy. They were truly works of art.

Here is some of what we saw -


In addition to the dresses, hats, shoes and jewelry, there were many photographs by fashion photographer Richard Avedon as well as other photographers and artists sketches, film clips and various memorabilia.





Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. KynaSeptember 13, 2010 at 10:11 AM

    Wow, I'm so jealous! I would have loved that :D

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  2. still goodSeptember 13, 2010 at 6:12 PM

    Wow! I could kick myself for not going to that! I even read about it on another blog, but never considered going. DUH!

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 13, 2010 at 9:17 PM

    I wish I knew about that. I LOVE fashion. Saw the lvediYSL exhibit when I was in Montreal. Works of ART!!!! 98% of the clothes are wearable today. Totally classic.

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  4. CarolSeptember 14, 2010 at 5:15 AM

    Beautiful ... to me timeless in their appeal with exception to what must be beneath to get those tiny waists! ;>)

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  5. UnknownSeptember 14, 2010 at 10:05 AM

    I love seeing fashions throughout the ages. Very interesting how some things change and others remain almost identical. Fun!

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  6. The Redneck RosarianSeptember 14, 2010 at 4:36 PM

    Wow! Where is it showing? Frist, TPAC? I am going to Nashville Friday and would love to see this while i'm there. In another life, I wanted to be a designer..... How I ever ended up a banker/rose gardner, i'll never know!!!!! ha.

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  7. Phillip OliverSeptember 15, 2010 at 7:59 AM

    It was at the Frist Center but I'm sorry to tell you that Sunday the 12th was the last day. We just barely made it!

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  8. Chicken BoysSeptember 15, 2010 at 9:21 AM

    I would have gone MAD!! Fashion is NOT my forte. I have little interest in it. Don't get me wrong. I want to dress nice...and appropriately. But walking a museum of clothing. Total boredom. Glad someone enjoys it, though. Somebody has to make these designers rediculously rich.
    ~Randy

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  9. Lisa at GreenbowSeptember 17, 2010 at 6:34 PM

    I think this would have been interesting but I would have enjoyed seeing the rose in the last post even more. You are a good sport.

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