Alessandro Michele (Italian, b. 1972) for Gucci
Ensemble, Spring 2017
Men’s collection
January 30th, 2019
Tag: fashion
Wearable Art
Taking its rightful place alongside more traditional forms of art.
Alessandro Michele (Italian, b. 1972) for Gucci
Ensemble F/W 2016
Stephen Jones (British, b. 1957)
”Show” Hat, F/W 2013 ”Art School”
Perspex Plexiglas
Deborah Williams Remington (American, 1930-2010)
Dover, 1975
Oil on canvas
Stephen Jones (British, b. 1957)
”Sewing” Hat, S/S 2018
Printed cotton with satin cord and metal bodkin
Rei Kawakubo (Japanese, b. 1942)
Comme des Garçons, S/S 2018
Rei Kawakubo (Japanese, b. 1942)
Comme des Garçons, S/S 2018
Rei Kawakubo (Japanese, b. 1942)
Comme des Garçons, S/S 2018
Rei Kawakubo (Japanese, b. 1942)
Comme des Garçons, S/S 2018
Viola Frey (American, 1933-2004)
Nude Man, 1989
Glazed ceramic
John Galliano (British, b. 1960) for Maison Margiela
Ensemble Fall 2018
Kehinde Wiley (American, b. 1977)
Marechal Floriano Peixoto (from The World Stage: Brazil Series), 2009
Oil on canvas
January 30th, 2019
Fashion Trends for the Zoom Era
Bottoms optional
#insta-moments in Manhattan
(Midtown)
August 19th, 2018
A Heavenly Garden
Of Earthly Delights
Dolce & Gabbana
”Penelope” wedding ensemble, S/S 2013
Valentino
Evening dress, S/S 2014
Undercover, Jun Takahashi
Ensembles, S/S 2015, printed with iconography from Hieronymus Bosch’s triptych ”The Garden of Earthly Delights”
House of Dior
Raf Simons, Evening dress, A/W 2015-16
A more abstracted interpretation of Hieronymus Bosch’s painting ”The Garden of Earthly Delights”
Valentino
Evening Dress, A/W 2015-16
Jean Paul Gaultier
‘Lumiere’, Evening ensemble, S/S 2007
Steinunn Thorarinsdottir
Armors, 2016-2018
Rick Owens
Ensemble, A/W 2015-16.
With a pee(p) hole at the crotch, Owens’ playful, subversive ”habit” evokes the popular literary stereotype of the lecherous, debauched and scandalous medieval monk, satirized by Geoffrey Chaucer in ”The Canterbury Tales” (1387-1400).
The Cloisters, Fort Tryon Park
July 14th, 2018
Heavenly Bodies || The Cloisters
Well, I don’t know about the bodies but some of the gowns were heavenly, indeed! The exhibition was two-part, the main segment being at The Met on Fifth Avenue, and an annex displayed at the medieval monastic environment of The Cloisters, where the gowns seemed to have found their natural habitat, as if they had always belonged there. If I had to describe the display, setting & ambience in one word, that would have been ”sublime”.
Viktor & Rolf, ensemble, 2018 original design: A/W 1999-2000
Valentino, evening ensemble, A/W 2015-16
Philip Treacy, ”Madonna Rides Again II” hats, 1998 – 2001
House of Chanel, wedding dress, A/W 1990-91 by Karl Lagerfeld
The Unicorn in Captivity
Wool, silk and silver and gilded-silver wrapped thread
South Netherlandish, ca. 1495-1505
Altarpiece with the Virgin and Child and Saints
Master fo the Burg Weiler Altarpiece
German, Swabia, ca. 1470
Reliquary busts of female saints
South Netherlandish, Brabant, possibly Brussels, ca. 1520-20
Valentino, red silk velvet dress, S/S 2015
Thom Browne, wedding ensemble, S/S 2018
Olivier Theyskens, evening dress, S/S 1999
House of Dior ”Hyménée” wedding dress by Marc Bohan, 2018; original design: S/S 1961
House of Balenciaga, wedding dress, spring 1967
Fashion history has designated this garment by Cristobal Balenciaga the ”one-seam wedding dress.” If the dress were indeed made from a single length of fabric, it would claim a biblical source: Jesus’ seamless robe at the Crucifixion. The dress, however, is made of two pieces of fabric stitched together and it has three shaping seams – two at the shoulder and one down the centre of the back.
Grisaille Panels
French, probably Normandy, ca. 1270-80
Jean Paul Gaultier
”Regina Maris” evening ensemble, S/S 2007
House of Dior
Ensemble, S/S 2006 by John Galliano
Book of Hours
Simon Bening (1483/84 – 1561)
Tempera, gold and ink on parchment
South Netherlandish, Bruges, ca. 1530 – 1535
This tiny Book of Hours is one of Simon Bening’s prayerful jewels, intended for use at regular intervals throught the twenty-four-hour day (ideally every three hours). It was a reminder of the omnipresence of God, meant to be attached to its owner, or stored with precious possessions.
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
Chasuble for Saint John Paul II (reigned 1978-2005), 1997
This chasuble was created for Saint John Paul II to wear on World Youth Day in 1997.
The Cloisters, Fort Tryon Park
July 14th, 2018
A Fashion’s Guide to Heraldry
How many hours did it take to create this modern coat of arms, would you say?
Gown:
Jean Paul Gaultier
”Ex-Voto” evening ensemble, S/S 2007
Grey silk mousseline, white silk-metal lace, crocheted gold and silver silk and iridescent crystals, appliqued holograms and aluminum ex-votos
Rosary:
Ivory, silver and partially gilded mounts
Carved in Germany, ca. 1500-1525
This rosary’s Latin inscriptions read ”Think on death” and ”This is what you will be.”
Reliquary arm of Saint Valentine:
Silver, gilded silver and blue cabochon
Made in Switzerland (Basel), ca. 1380-1400
Headdress:
Alexander McQueen – Shaun Leane, A/W 1998-99
Silver and faceted red crystals
Breastplate:
House of Givenchy
Alexander McQueen & Shaun Leane, S/S 2000
Silver-plated metal, resin and old gold
From the Heavenly Bodies exhibiton, held @The Met in 2018
July 14th, 2018
Ascetic Opulence
From over the top opulence to extreme modesty and back. Fashion is inextricably connected to human nature. To understand the former, you may want to start deciphering the latter first.
Spinario (Boy Pulling a Thorn from his Foot)
Bronzse, partially gilt hair and silvered eyes
Antico (Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi)
probably modeled by 1496, cast. ca. 1501
Seated Paris
Bronze statuette, partially gilt and silvered
Antico (Pier Jacopo Alari-Bonacolsi)
Mantua, ca. 1500
Christian Lacroix
”Gold-Gotha” ensemble, A/W 1988/89
Gianni Versace
Evening top, A/W 1991-92
Gianni Versace
Evening top, A/W 1991-92
Gianni Versace
Jacket, A/W 1991-92
Jean Paul Gaultier
”Surprise de l’Icine” ensemble, A/W 1997-98
Dolce & Gabbana
”Idamante” ensemble, S/S 2016
Dolce & Gabbanna
”Angelica” ensemble, S/S 2016
From the Heavenly Bodies exhibiton, held @The Met in 2018
July 14th, 2018
Deep || Midnight || Blue
If I had to pick one from this plethora of extraordinary gowns, it would have to be this one; an eclectic combination of taffeta and lace, paired with leather biker trousers in Lee McQueen’s inimitable style.
House of Givenchy
Evening Ensemble, S/S 1999 by
Alexander McQueen (1969-2010)
Black silk taffeta, white duchesse satin, white cotton lace, white silk organza, black leather
From the Heavenly Bodies exhibiton, held @The Met in 2018
July 14th, 2018
Halocinations
The Angels wear tiaras.
Fragment of a floor mosaic with a personification of Ktisis [Greek for foundation (of a city or colony)]
Marble and Glass
Byzantine, made 500-550
House of Lanvin (Jeanne Lanvin)
”Incertitude” evening dress, 1936
And a closer look at Goossens’ tiara and accessories over the statuary vestment for the Virgin of El Rocio, by Yves Saint Laurent.
From the Heavenly Bodies exhibiton, held @The Met in 2018
July 14th, 2018
Heavenly Bodies @ The Met
Heaven Avenue beckoned and we followed, taking a couple of breaks along the way.
First stop, The Met on Fifth Avenue where, for a short while, some truly divine gowns had descended to take their rightful places next to precious jewels, crosses, relics, mosaics and other objects of medieval art from the Museum’s permanent collection.
When fashion crosses that fine line between ”nothing is sacred” yet ”everything is”, in supreme style.
Dolce & Gabbana, A/W 2013-14
Thierry Mugler
”Madonna” evening ensemble, A/W 1984-85
This ensemble served as the finale to Thierry Mugler’s tenth anniversary collection, staged awt Le Zenith, an indoor arena in Paris. The model Pat Cleveland wore it as she was lowered from the ceiling of the auditorium on a cloud of dry ice, as if descending from heaven.
Alexander McQueen
Ensemble, S/S 1999
Birch plywood and ivory leather’ ivory wool twill and ivory silk lace
Riccardo Tisci
Statuary vestment for the Madonna Delle Grazie, 2015 (original design, 1950)
Yves Saint Laurent
Statuary Vestment for the Virgin of El Rocio, ca. 1985
Tiara and accessories by Goossens
Yves Saint Laurent
Wedding Ensemble, A/W 1977-78
Christian Lacroix
Wedding ensemble, A/W 2009-10
Jean Paul Gaultier
Ensemble S/S 1994
House of Dior by John Galliano
Evening ensemble, A/W 2000-2001
House of Dior by John Galliano
”Madonna” wedding ensemble, A/W 2005-6
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
July 14th, 2018
