File:Runway of Love Patrick Kelly Philadelphia Museum of Art ( 149) (14153493343).jpg

Patrick Kelly Runway of Love April 27 – November 30 2014 Philadelphia Museum of Art . Born and raised in Mississippi, Patrick Kelly moved to Paris in late 1979. His early signature creations—skinny, body-conscious dresses with colorful buttons—were feature in Elle magazine 1985 and in 1988, Kelly became the first American and the first black designer to be voted into the prestigious Chambre syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, the French fashion industry association and standards organization. Kelly’s aesthetic developed out of his African American and Southern roots, his knowledge of fashion and art history, and from the club and gay cultural scenes in New York and Paris. His work pushed racial and cultural boundaries with golliwog logos, Aunt Jemima bandana dresses, and black baby doll brooches. Kelly’s playful looks were inspired by his muse, Josephine Baker, and admiration for couturiers Coco Chanel, Madame Grès, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Yves Saint Laurent. Kelly’s brilliant vision and career were cut short by AIDS, to which he succumbed in 1990. Runway of Love showcases over eighty ensembles that have been presented to the Museum as a promised gift by Kelly’s business and life partner, Bjorn Guil Amelan, and Bill T. Jones.