Couture Club

French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy once said of his late friend and client Ann Bonfoey Taylor, “It was an honor to dress her. She was so chic and could wear anything, yet she was intransigent in her great style and never gravitated to something that did not look like...

By Laura Hahnefeld

April 7, 2011

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French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy once said of his late friend and client Ann Bonfoey Taylor, “It was an honor to dress her. She was so chic and could wear anything, yet she was intransigent in her great style and never gravitated to something that did not look like her.”

Taylor was a World War II flight instructor, a designer of celebrated skiwear, mother to six children and member of the US Olympic Ski Squad in 1939. Her couture wardrobe reads like a “Who’s Who” of 1950s and ’60s fashion: Charles James, Madame Grès, Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Fortuny.

From sportswear to evening gowns, Taylor’s collection features more than 60 full ensembles and accessories including Hermes hunting outfits, French military attire, sheep-pelt coats worn skiing, wool coats and jackets, and dazzling full-length dresses.

Toast this timeless tastemaker’s collection by attending Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor, on display at the Steele Gallery inside Phoenix Art Museum, through May 29.

Sundays, 12-5 p.m.; Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: Feb. 27. Continues through May 29, 2011

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