A Lifetime of Levi's with Dorothy "Polka Dot" Quock and Alice So

Friday, July 16, 2021 | 12pm

ADMISSION: Free with Museum admission. Please note that this is an in-person program at The CJM.

2021-07-16 12:00:00 UTC2021-07-16 23:00:00 UTC America/Los_AngelesThe CJM - 736 Mission St, San Francisco, CAA Lifetime of Levi's with Dorothy "Polka Dot" Quock and Alice SoThe original Levi’s® Factory was located at 14th and Valencia streets, founded in 1906. Stories abound of the many generations of women who worked there over the years. Dorothy “Polka Dot” G.C. Quock, whose mother worked in the factory when Dorothy was a child, developed a lifelong love of fashion after this early history, going on to become a renowned fashionista who was recently featured in @chinatownpretty. Listen in on this intimate gallery talk between Dorothy and Alice So to discover the impact of denim on San Francisco’s fashion, from Valencia Street to Chinatown.

The original Levi’s^® Factory was located at 14th and Valencia streets, founded in 1906. Stories abound of the many generations of women who worked there over the years. Hear one story from Dorothy “Polka Dot” G.C. Quock, whose mother worked in the factory when Dorothy was a child. Dorothy and her siblings would sit with her as she worked and clip loose threads from the finished garments.

This early history led to a lifelong love of fashion for Dorothy, recently featured in fashion project @chinatownpretty. Listen in on this intimate gallery talk between Dorothy and Alice So to discover the impact of denim on San Francisco’s fashion, from Valencia Street to Chinatown.

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About the Speakers

Dorothy “Polka Dot” G.C. Quock is a San Francisco Chinatown native. In her eighth decade, she became a model for San Francisco designer Victor Tung. She is highlighted in Chinatown Pretty, a book celebrating the street style of Chinatown seniors that has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, CNN, Time Out, The Washington Post, Vogue, The Cut, and NBC Today.

For many years, Dorothy was an intrepid international tour guide, leading groups to China, South America, and East Africa. She is a longtime guide for Wok Wiz Tours, which specializes in tours of San Francisco's Chinatown. In 2020, she was honored by Donaldina Cameron House, a Chinatown community organization established in 1874. Quock also received the 2020 Award for Excellence in Leadership and Service, and was presented with a Certificate of Honor from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Alice So is a writer-at-large and model for Hatlines Magazine, a European hat fashion publication based in the Netherlands. After a career in healthcare, So discovered a love of fashionable hats thanks to San Francisco milliner Kathleen Kelley, and a love of colorful clothes from San Francisco designer Victor Tung. So is thrilled to be a style ambassador for both designers. She has appeared in publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, Modern Bride, Travel + Leisure, Palm Springs Life, and Hat Talk. She is currently featured with the founders of London Hat Week on their official website, the premiere international hat fashion event showcasing global hat designers and fashions.

About the Exhibition

In 1873, at the end of the California Gold Rush, Levi Strauss & Co., named for a Bavarian Jewish dry goods merchant in San Francisco, obtained a U.S. patent with tailor Jacob Davis on the process of putting metal rivets in men’s denim work pants to increase their durability. It was the birth of the blue jean. The CJM original exhibition Levi Strauss: A History of American Style showcases the life of Levi Strauss, the invention of the blue jean, and their iconic place in the history of American style.

Seven women in cowboy hats lined up wearing Levi's jeans

“Showing their Levi’s” postcard from the California Rodeo Salinas (July 13–16, 1939), 1939. Levi Strauss & Co. Archives

LEARN MORE

Support for Levi Strauss: A History of American Style is generously provided by Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt; Gaia Fund; John Pritzker Family Fund; Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund; Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund; Mimi and Peter Haas Fund; The David Berg Foundation; John & Marcia Goldman Foundation; Suzanne and Elliott Felson; Colleen and Robert D. Haas; Dana Corvin and Harris Weinberg, in honor of Paulette Meyer and David Friedman, and Catherine and James Koshland; Kendra and Tom Kasten, in honor of Robert D. Haas; Michael Righi; Dorothy R. Saxe; David Saxe; Marilyn and Murry Waldman; and Rosanne and Al Levitt.

Lead Corporate Sponsorship is provided by Levi’s^®.

Media Sponsorship is provided by the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED. In-kind support is provided by Corduroy Media.