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Blog 6
Almost as soon as I returned from Tokyo, I set off again for Moscow, where my book The Corset was just published in Russian. I arrived the day after the terrible bombing in the Moscow subway, so I anticipated lockdown conditions, but everyday life continued. My hosts were really terrific and I had a wonderful trip. Moscow is an amazing city. I am a huge fan of Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita so I went to see Patriarch’s Pond, where the novel opens. I also saw Bulgakov’s apartment with all the graffiti drawn on the stairwell by his fans.
In addition to giving several talks (including one at the new art center, The Garage), I was able to see an exhibition of couture dresses from the collection of Tatiana Sorokko (lots of beautiful Ralph Rucci, a lovely evening dress by Madame Grès, Westwood, Gaultier, etc.) at the decorative arts museum. I also saw an amazing private collection of shoes. It turns out that some of the most fabulous objects at the Shoe Museum in Romans (France) are single LEFT shoes – and the collector in Russia has the matching RIGHT shoes.
The Museum at FIT has had a really active series of public programs this spring. Caroline Weber spoke about her book Queen of Fashion (April 19), and as part of our fashion culture series, I was in conversation with Prabal Gurung (April 12), Kate and Laura Mullheavy of Rodarte (May 4) and André Leon Talley (May 6). Work on Japan Fashion Now continues full speed ahead, along with all our other exhibition and publication projects, not to mention next September’s Couture Council awards luncheon, our application for accreditation by the American Association of Museums, etc., etc.
I also zoomed over to Berlin for two days to give a lecture on “Museum Quality: The Rise of the Fashion Exhibition.” At the Kunstbibliothek, I saw Heidi Rasche’s latest exhibition on fashion photographs and illustrations from the 1960s. May Day was celebrated with demonstrations in Berlin and all the stores closed (rats!), but, to compensate, there were a lot of great art events. Back in New York, I went to the opening of the Brooklyn Museum’s costume exhibition – filled with masterpieces by Charles James, Worth, and Schiaparelli – and curated by Jan Reeder, who also wrote the catalogue.
PS. To the person who asked about my eyeglasses: They are hand-made in France for Selima Optique.
In Blog May 14th, 2010
Blog5
I went to Tokyo recently to continue my research for the book and exhibition, Japan Fashion Now. It was a really productive – and fun –trip, and I discovered some terrific menswear designers, such as Factotum, White Mountaineering, and Phenomenon. I also saw how much Chitose Abe of sacai has developed over the past year; she’s always been a good designer, but her clothes are becoming increasingly beautiful and sophisticated. My Tokyo-based friends, especially Tiffany Godoy, helped me track down examples of the new street style – mori girls (translation: “forest girls”) took me to visit shops like Grimoire and Conocoto, which specialize in the look. I also scoped out the latest Gothic & Lolita fashions. One definite highlight of the trip was attending a gothic–punk fashion show by h.NAOTO. I also had the opportunity to interview one of Japan’s most important designers, Jun Takahashi of Undercover, about how his style has been developing .
I’m especially excited that Idol singers Hangry & Angry will not only be featured on the cover of the book and the exhibition graphics for Japan Fashion Now, but they’ll also be lending clothes to the exhibition from their personal wardrobes. It is a fascinating story how h.NAOTO developed the idea of comic grotesque characters, the punk and gothic cats Hangry & Angry, which then also inspired a singing duo. We plan to feature a video of one of their concerts next to the section of the exhibition featuring h.NAOTO clothes. But I better not give away too much about the exhibition before it opens on September 17th.
In Blog May 6th, 2010
Blog4
The death of Alexander McQueen – his suicide – was a terrible blow. McQueen was the most creative designer in the world – one with a unique and powerful vision. His amazing clothes were prominently featured in many of the exhibitions at The Museum at FIT – in London Fashion, of course, but also in Love & War: The Weaponized Woman and Gothic: Dark Glamour. His style was often very dark, mixing beauty with terror and the macabre, and clearly this darkness was part of his innermost self. It seems that he had contemplated suicide before, and yet his friends say that he was in a good place in recent months, until his mother’s death pushed him into despair. The cover of “commons&sense man” magazine from Japan has a big smiling picture of McQueen on the cover. We have lost so much.
In Blog April 17th, 2010
Blog3
The exhibition American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion opened on November 5th at the Museum at FIT. Curated by Patricia Mears, American Beauty is a very personal view of American fashion, focusing on designers who are technically innovative. Francisco Costa, Narciso Rodriguez, Thom Browne, Maria Cornejo, Yeohlee Teng, Jean Yu, and Charles Kleibacker were among the designers featured in the exhibition who attended the opening reception. The fascinating Daphne Guinness also saw the show, as did John Galliano, who visited the Museum the next day.
Patricia has also written a book to accompany the exhibition.
Other publishing news: I have an essay on Marc Jacobs in the book Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture. Do you think that means that I will finally get invited to Marc’s fashion shows in New York?
The Museum at FIT held its annual Fashion Symposium on December 4-5 on the theme American Style. Speakers included Caroline Millbank on “The Origins of the American Look,” Kohle Yohanan on “The Small Town Girl and the Femme Fatale: Claire McCardell and Valentina,” and Patricia Mears in conversation with designer Charles Kleibacker.
In Blog December 15th, 2009
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