Exhibition of NY fashion icon Chester Weinberg comes to Adelaide

Opening this week (8 November) the David Roche Gallery is presenting the exhibition Style and Spirit: The Fashion of Chester Weinberg, the fashion icon who shaped the couturier landscape of New York in the 1950s and 1960s before being appointed head designer of Calvin Klein Jeans – then the largest fashion brand in the world.

As noted in Wikipedia, he was considered one of the most “important designers on Seventh Avenue” and described as being “ahead of his time“.

Over 50 garments designed by the US couturier will travel to Adelaide this summer, to be presented alongside pieces by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior and Pierre Cardin.

Little is known of Weinberg in Australia. He was first designer known to die from AIDS-related illness in 1985, aged 54. Co-curator of the exhibition Timothy Roberts explains: “His death came as a shock to the industry, and his name was quickly written out of fashion history. This exhibition seeks to reintroduce Weinberg’s inspiring career to lovers of vintage fashion and reduce stigma around HIV/AIDS.”

Roberts has worked with Skye Bartlett, Team Manager of SAMESH (South Australia Mobilisation + Empowerment for Sexual Health) to deliver the exhibition. She says: “Clothes are such a personal expression of our style and taste, but we also want to draw attention to the unquantifiable cultural loss resulting from the ongoing HIV epidemic.”

One of Weinberg’s most innovative design idiosyncrasies was the inclusion of discreet pockets in almost all his garments. He was also known for working with suede and dramatic prints, and championed the midi skirt in the face of opposition from US buyers and retailers.

Roberts says in a statement: “Weinberg’s clients included socialites Amanda Carter-Burden, Babe Paley and Judy Peabody, whose homes, like David’s, were also furnished with extraordinary works of art.”

Significant US artists also designed fabrics for Weinberg, including Julian Tomchin, Tzaims Luksus, Andrée Brossin de Méré and Gerald Laing.

Read: Everything we know about summer 2024-2025 exhibition programming

More about Chester Weinberg

Weinberg graduated from Parsons in 1951, and between 1955 and 1985 was a regular guest lecturer and visiting critic. During this time he mentored designers such as Isaac Mizrahi, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan. He also taught at the Art Institute of Chicago.

He launched his own label in 1966, which ran until 1975. While Weinberg was gay, he closeted his sexuality until he closed his label. After 1975, he freelanced, and among his clients was Ballantyne of Scotland – creating cashmere knitwear for the respected label. He also created patters for Butterick and Vogue and dance costumes for Twyla Tharp‘s ballet As Time Goes By. He started working for Calvin Klein in 1978.

Despite the sector and society downplaying Weinberg’s significance, wrapped up in the turmoil of the AIDS pandemic at the time of his death, Calvin Klein placed a full-page memorial in Women’s Wear Daily, and endowed a Chester A Weinberg Memorial scholarship fund at Parsons.

Style and Spirit: The Fashion of Chester Weinberg is showing 8 November – 25 January 2025, at the David Roche Gallery. It is a ticketed exhibition. 

The David Roche Gallery is located at 241 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide