Fall Fashion 2019: Beauty and the Bauhaus

Fifty years after Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s death, his work continues to leave a lasting impression. Architecture critic Blair Kamin explains Mies’s enduring influence.

Photos by Clarissa BonetStyling by Jessica Moazami

August 28, 2019, 4:41 pm

Above: S.R. Crown Hall (1956)
Illinois Institute of Technology, 3360 S. State St.

“Crown Hall is the home of the IIT architecture department on a campus that Mies designed," says Kamin. "It’s this airy temple of steel and glass, and this image captures the seemingly floating ceiling plane. Only modern materials allow you to design a light and elegant stair like this. Mies took industrial materials like the steel being made in Gary, and he gave them black-tie elegance.”

Wool and silk dress, $4,400, Christian Dior, 931 N. Rush St. Calf leather booties, $1,295, Jimmy Choo, 114 E. Oak St. Burberry leather bag, $1,100, Ikram, 15 E. Huron St.

“The outside stairs are reminiscent of a classical temple. There’s a flight, a landing — which you see here — and another flight. It’s very ceremonial, like a processional. The materials weren’t cheap: This is travertine marble.”

Top:Josh Goot silk-blend dress, $300 for one-week rental, By:Fashionaholic, byfashionaholic.com. Calfskin and leather pumps, $870, Bottega Veneta, 800 N. Michigan Ave.

Bottom:Herve Leger rayon mix and mesh jumpsuit, $300 for one-week rental, By:Fashionaholic. Nappa and patent leather pumps, $850, Jimmy Choo.

“Inside Crown Hall is this big single-space room. There’s a collective identity to it — everyone is learning together. What’s revolutionary about the structure is that there are roof girders that carry the load. The whole idea is that it’s column-free, which makes possible a very open and airy interior.”

Brandon Maxwell wool and silk jumpsuit, $2,595, Saks Fifth Avenue, 700 N. Michigan Ave. Gianvito Rossi leather booties, $150 for one-week rental, By:Fashionaholic. Mercedes Salazar gold-tone bronze earrings, $225, Ikram.

Wool and silk dress and crystal earrings, prices on request, Louis Vuitton, 919 N. Michigan Ave. Alain Tondowski pumps, farfetch.com for similar style.

McCormick House (1952)
*Elmhurst Art Museum campus, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst*
“Mies was trying to bring the simple less-is-more aesthetic to an off-the-rack solution. The McCormick House is very different from a conventional idea of what a house is. It doesn’t have a gable roof, doesn’t look like a human face. The carport is right in the front. But here’s Mies. He’s trying to use modern technology, steel, glass, and brick.”

Left:Robert Rodriguez polyester shirt, $365, and pants, $345, P.45, 1643 N. Damen Ave. Patent leather sandals, $395, Stuart Weitzman, 520 N. Michigan Ave.

Right:Roland Mouret wool dress, $2,085, Neiman Marcus, 737 N. Michigan Ave. Nappa and patent leather pumps, $750, Jimmy Choo.

“It’s a modular middle-class house, and yet by virtue of its proportions and the way Mies treats the industrial materials, it’s elegant. This is one of his very few houses. It was going to be part of a subdivision, but only one was built.”

Wool knit sweater, $695, and skirt, $995, St. John, 116 E. Oak St.

860–880 North Lake Shore Drive (1951)
900–910 North Lake Shore Drive (1956)
“The look of 900–910, which you see in the background, is structural, but the bones are not really visible. It wasn’t as revolutionary as 860–880, where the skin expresses the structure. There you can see the columns running up and down and the beams running across.”

Proenza Schouler cotton-blend knit dress, $1,190, Neiman Marcus. Mohair-blend jacket, $1,590, Max Mara, 900 N. Michigan Ave.

860–880 North Lake Shore Drive
“Here you really see the glass house idea, very different than the limestone mountains that had been built along Michigan Avenue. There’s more window than wall. The choice of materials, especially the aluminum of the window frames, emphasizes the modernity and the lightness of the design. Look at the play of light off the aluminum. You can see the way it reflects what’s around it. It is part of the ever-changing landscape these people are greeted with every day.”

Left:Nylon-blend dress, $595, M2057 by Maria Pinto, 833 W. Washington Blvd. Akris cotton trench coat, $3,990, Neiman Marcus. Suede pumps, $695, Christian Louboutin boutique in Nordstrom, 55 E. Grand Ave.

Right:Maison Margiela cotton and polyester jacket dress, $3,385, Ikram. Leather oxfords, $945, Dolce & Gabbana, 68 E. Oak St.

*The co-op unit was made available to* Chicago *by owner Ann Lurie.*

Chicago Federal Center (1974)
*Dearborn from Adams to Jackson*
“The plaza is the clearing in the forest of skyscrapers in the Loop. Mies arranges the towers and the post office to shape this clearing. With the post office, seen in the background, the idea is that it’s a civic building, so it’s supposed to be monumental. What you can’t tell from these photos is its transparency, which humanizes it. His work still seems fresh because it is so well proportioned, so well detailed. It has an integrity to it. His work is timeless in its beauty.”

Cashmere turtleneck, $995, and double-faced cashmere with horsehair inlay jacket, $5,990, and wrap skirt, $2,990, Akris, akris.com. Patent leather boots, $1,490, Fendi, fendi.com.

Balmain viscose top, $300 for one-week rental, By:Fashionaholic. Gucci wool jacket, $3,900, and pants, $1,700, Ikram. Leather kitten-heel mules, $625, Jimmy Choo.

Hair and Makeup: Lauren Ward and Kerre Berry with Distinct Artists
Models: Kate Kremer/Ford Models and Berry/MP Factor
Styling Assistants: Olivia Lavery, Teresa Krone, and Emma Jackson
Photo assistants: Charles Bouril and Liz Rybka

Above: S.R. Crown Hall (1956)
Illinois Institute of Technology, 3360 S. State St.

McCormick House (1952)
Elmhurst Art Museum campus, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst

860–880 North Lake Shore Drive (1951)
900–910 North Lake Shore Drive (1956)

860–880 North Lake Shore Drive

Chicago Federal Center (1974)
Dearborn from Adams to Jackson

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Above: S.R. Crown Hall (1956) Illinois Institute of Technology, 3360 S. State St.

McCormick House (1952) Elmhurst Art Museum campus, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst

860–880 North Lake Shore Drive (1951) 900–910 North Lake Shore Drive (1956)

860–880 North Lake Shore Drive

Chicago Federal Center (1974) Dearborn from Adams to Jackson

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Above: S.R. Crown Hall (1956)
Illinois Institute of Technology, 3360 S. State St.

McCormick House (1952)
Elmhurst Art Museum campus, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst

860–880 North Lake Shore Drive (1951)
900–910 North Lake Shore Drive (1956)

Chicago Federal Center (1974)
Dearborn from Adams to Jackson