C.Z. Guest: Portrait of an American Style Icon recounts the life and influence of a defining style arbiter of the 20th century. One of Truman Capote’s famous Swans and a modern muse to Salvador Dalí and Diego Rivera, C.Z. Guest continues to shape and inspire design culture around the world. The exhibition presents, for the first time, ensembles and accessories from Guest’s personal wardrobe, now preserved in the SCAD Museum of Art Permanent Collection. This selection highlights some of the most prolific fashion designers of the 20th century, many of whom were championed by Guest throughout her life, including American houses Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Mainbocher, and Adolfo Sardiña and international brands Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, and Max Mara.

Images and illustrations of Guest by celebrated artists and photographers such as Slim Aarons, Cecil Beaton, and Andy Warhol demonstrate how she became synonymous with American style, propelled by the widespread distribution of her signature persona in the mainstream media. Guest challenged typical societal expectations for women, moving seamlessly between her roles as a devoted wife, an equestrian athlete, and an ambitious businesswoman, earning her the cover of TIME magazine in 1962.

C.Z. Guest: Portrait of an American Style Icon is curated by Stefano Tonchi, editor and journalist, with Ariel Stark, SCAD FASH curator and assistant director of fashion exhibitions and operations, and sponsored by Max Mara.