A  museum docent presentation on The Legion of Honor's exhibition - Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy

In 2015, pop star Rihanna made headlines when she attended the Met Gala wearing a spectacular creation by Guo Pei, which thrust the designer into the international spotlight. Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy is the first comprehensive exhibition of the work of the woman hailed as China’s first couturier. This dazzling retrospective features Guo Pei’s work from the past two decades, drawn from her most important collections shown on Beijing and Paris runways.

Through exquisite craftsmanship, lavish embroidery, and unconventional dressmaking techniques, Guo Pei’s designs fuse the influences of China’s imperial past, European architecture, folklore, and the botanical world. Many of the opulent and intricate designs featured in Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy will be displayed in galleries alongside masterpieces of European art, creating dialogues that will highlight the historical and iconographical references made by the designer in her creations.