San Francisco Style

A visual celebration of the evolution of style and fashion in San Francisco from 1906 to today, featuring some of the world’s most beloved designers such as Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, and many more

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) are home to one of the most significant collections of 20th- and 21st-century women’s fashion in the United States, and this book shares a particular segment of that collection: San Francisco style from 1906 to today. Showcasing approximately 100 garments, this book accompanies a major exhibition, slated to open in early November 2023.

San Francisco Style starts in 1906, when the devastating earthquake forced people to rebuild their lives from the ground up. The city’s desire to redefine itself and assert an international status in the wake of disaster manifested in the dress codes of its prominent women. The early collections in this book reflect San Francisco’s bohemian tendencies and its long-standing practice of using fashion as a form of personal expression.

Featuring designs by notable names, such as Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent, and paying homage to the role of film and the counterculture in San Francisco dress codes, San Francisco Style will appeal to both fashion lovers and historians.