Inside C.Z. Guest’s Closet: A First Look at SCAD FASH

C.Z. Guest put her initials on almost everything she owned. Brass plaques carry them on her shoe trees. Teal thread spells them out on a cream cardigan, and burgundy thread repeats them on pink piqué. Even her sweaters have woven labels with her name, and inside one riding boot, she signed her own.

Now that closet has come to Atlanta. C.Z. Guest: Portrait of an American Style Icon opened Oct. 15 at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Midtown. For the first time, more than 40 ensembles and accessories from Guest’s personal wardrobe are on public view. In addition, loans from The Metropolitan Museum of Art fill out the story. Max Mara presents the exhibition, and Haute Living got a first look.

Who Was C.Z. Guest?

Before she became a style icon, Guest was an actress in 1940s Hollywood. Later, she built a public life as an equestrian, a horticulturist and an author. Truman Capote counted her among his Swans, while Salvador Dalí and Diego Rivera both painted her. In 1959, she entered the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. Three years later, TIME put her on its cover.

Her life moved between Templeton, her Long Island estate, and her home in Palm Beach. Likewise, her wardrobe moved between jodhpurs and couture. As SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace puts it, Guest was equally at home in both.

The exhibition’s signature image captures that balance. In a 1962 photograph, Guest stands poolside with palms at her back. She wears white shorts, a lace cardigan pinned with a brooch and green flats, with a white poodle tucked under one arm. In other words, almost everything the show argues is already in that frame.

Inside the Exhibition

The show opens on a wall of black-and-white photographs. Here, Guest appears at galas, in her garden, walking her dogs and seated in tweed in a brocade armchair. Across the middle, her name runs in oxblood serif capitals. Many of the images come from the photographers who made her famous, including Slim Aarons, Cecil Beaton, Lord Snowdon, Irving Penn, Bruce Weber and Ron Galella.

From there, the exhibition splits in two, just as her life did. One side is Town, and the other is Country.

Town: The Public Wardrobe

Photo Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

Town belongs to the public Guest, from Hollywood through the Swan years of the 1950s and ’60s and decades of galas. Mannequins line a long white runway, and the walls behind them are sketched in black ink with garlands, columns and oversized blooms. This side also carries most of the big names in her closet, including Mainbocher, Adolfo Sardiña, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Chanel, Courrèges, Carolina Herrera and Max Mara.

By day, she dressed in pastels. A lilac silk shirtdress has a pintucked bib and a wide sash. Next to it, a mint printed blouse and trousers come finished with a red-trimmed belt pouch. There is also a pale green cropped top over a cream skirt scattered with appliquéd flowers, a petal-pink coat with flap pockets and a cream bouclé suit. Farther down, the palette deepens into black cocktail dresses, polka dots and a red coat.

At night, she dressed like society royalty. One sheer pink gown, woven with small squares of coral and white, falls in fine pleats from a tied waist, with a matching stole over one shoulder. Then the walls turn black, sketched in white. There, the standout is a strapless gown with a ruched black bodice, an ivory organza skirt and an oversized pink bow knotted across the front.

Country: The Private Wardrobe

Photo Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

Country, by contrast, is where she rode, played and gardened. Her tailoring here was as exacting as her couture in town, and Huntsman of Savile Row is among the names in her closet.

A wall of lit vitrines tells that story. Inside, a navy riding jacket tops flared jodhpurs and tall black boots. Nearby sit wooden boot trees, lace-up paddock boots and a pair of corduroy jodhpurs. Then come the everyday pieces: a pink oxford shirt with its tie, structured handbags in tan, mustard, brown and black patent, white tennis sneakers and a navy knit polo trimmed in red. Finally, rows of loafers and velvet slippers fill the last case.

Just beyond, a corridor is papered floor to ceiling with close-up photographs of the details. Look for her monograms, her labels, the brass plaques and a tortoiseshell chain handle on a yellow bag.

For curator Stefano Tonchi, those details are the point. In his view, the clothes matter less as individuals than as a whole. As he puts it, the wardrobe is a portrait of a woman and her lifestyle, and “one of America’s best-kept secrets.”

How Her Clothes Came to SCAD

Photo Credit: Courtesy of SCAD

Years ago, Guest’s daughter, actor and author Cornelia Guest, gave her mother’s wardrobe to the university. She chose SCAD because she wanted students to study how the clothes were made. She also trusted the museum to share them with the public one day.

That plan is now playing out. Throughout the run, students from SCAD’s fashion, luxury and brand management, photography, film and writing programs will work with the curators. SCAD organized the exhibition with journalist and creative consultant Stefano Tonchi and Ariel Stark, SCAD FASH curator and assistant director of fashion exhibitions and operations.

Max Mara’s Role

Max Mara presents the show, and fittingly, its label hangs in Guest’s own closet. The timing suits the house, too. Achille Maramotti founded Max Mara in 1951, so the brand turns 75 this year. Earlier this month, it marked the milestone with its Fall/Winter 2026 runway show at Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Today, the Maramotti family still owns the company, which sells in more than 100 countries.

Dress for the Opening at Saks Atlanta

Before the opening, Max Mara is bringing the exhibition to Buckhead. On Thursday, Oct. 22, and Friday, Oct. 23, the house hosts an exclusive shopping experience in the Designer department on the third floor of Saks Atlanta. Guests get champagne and a personalized styling appointment to choose a Fall/Winter 2026 look for the opening reception. Better still, Max Mara will donate 10 percent of proceeds from both days to SCAD FASH. To book, contact Bianca Cole at [email protected].

The Opening Celebration: Nov. 10

SCAD FASH celebrates its fall exhibitions on Tuesday, Nov. 10. First, a 6 p.m. talk at SCADshow features Cornelia Guest and the cast of Emily in Paris. Afterward, guests move to the museum for a preview and reception. During the evening, Cornelia Guest and Tonchi will share the story behind the exhibition and screen highlights from a SCAD-produced documentary on her mother’s life. Members also get a preview and private reception with Guest, Tonchi, and guests from Max Mara.

Before then, SCAD FASH’s Halloween talk on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. looks at masquerade balls and Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball, which Guest attended. The talk takes place at FORTY, 40 SCAD Way. Tickets cost $5 for the public, and black-and-white dress is encouraged.

Plan Your Visit

SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film is at 1600 Peachtree St. NW in Midtown. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It is closed Mondays. C.Z. Guest: Portrait of an American Style Icon runs through Feb. 21, 2027.