The Phoenix Art Museum has recently kicked off its latest exhibition- Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor. This exclusive fashion design exhibition explores the wardrobe, style and vision of a great American tastemaker.  

“Ann Bonfoey Taylor was beautiful, fashionable, intelligent, fun and a marvelous hostess, who entertained friends, family and international dignitaries,” commented Dennita Sewell, curator of fashion design, Phoenix Art Museum.  “Yet her accomplishments went far beyond being a renowned hostess; she was also an Olympic skier, championship tennis player, licensed pilot, flight instructor during World War II, successful skiwear designer and a skilled sportswoman.”

Of Taylor’s many talents, fashion was her greatest passion. Throughout her life, she demonstrated exceptional judgment about clothes; her original style was classic and sophisticated but with great flair. She was regularly interviewed and photographed for fashion and lifestyle magazines from the 1930s to the 1970s and during that time, she assembled a custom-made wardrobe of day and evening wear by the most gifted 20th-century designers.

In 2008 the Taylor family donated Ann’s extraordinary wardrobe to Phoenix Art Museum. Comprised of 200 pieces, the collection includes 60 full ensembles and additional accessories from the most masterful fashion designers of the era including:   

Charles James
James dressed the most fashionable American, British and French women of his generation. Notoriously fickle and sometimes ill-tempered, he only made clothes for those he liked and who possessed a presence and figure he appreciated. Taylor had a number of coats, suits and gowns custom-made by him from 1949 through 1953. Working with James established her as one of the best-dressed and most distinguished tastemakers of the era.