GUO PEI

With fashion as my first career I was exposed to creations that would take hours to make, fully beaded gowns painstakingly made one bead at a time…true artisans gifted in needlework. Exquisite silks Guipure lace, Swarovski beads all elements of these creations.

Even with my background in Haute Couture I wasn’t prepared, internally prepared, for the recent exhibit at the Legion of Honor showcasing the decades of Guo Pei’s exquisite designs. I didn’t anticipate having my breathe taken away so completely.

Guo Pei’s extraordinary imagination is full of wit, humor, whimsy and outrageous creativity. Some of her creations taking 3000 to 5000 hours to make. Having grown up during the Cultural Revolution she was not exposed to what she now creates except through the stories of her grandmother who had lived in an era of opulence, the twilight of China’s final imperial era, the Qing Dynasty.

By the 1930’s, in China, the art of embroidery had ceased being taught to girls and richly embellished clothing was forbidden during the Cultural Revolution but Guo Pei longed to design embroidered clothing, just as her grandmother had described to her as a little girl. Now her studio employs 450 craftspeople and her team has developed their own interpretation of needlework, borrowing techniques from not only her homeland but many other cultures as well. Her collections are smartly themed and dramatically presented in an architectural setting befitting to the collection…East Palace, Himalaya, L’Architecture, Gardens of Soul are a few.

I am always drawn to those who have the courage to live out their dreams, to let their inner spirit drive them to create, to expose their vulnerable soul. These figments of Guo Pei’s colorful imagination will live to speak to future generations, to inspire and to encourage others to live their dream. What a gift she has shared with us.