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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
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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
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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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Back again! This is like keeping a diary – and forgetting to write anything for a couple of weeks… Fortunately, there have been some memorable events recently to jog my memory.
Together with members of the Couture Council, I made a field trip to visit the designer Prabal Gurung. When I saw his collection during New York fashion week, I was struck by how modern and elegant it looked, and how enthusiastically it was received by the fashion press. Visiting designers’ ateliers is one of the best parts of joining the Couture Council, and everyone who came really liked Prabal and admired his designs. He was so articulate (and talented) that I asked if he would speak at FIT as part of our Fashion Culture program next spring, and he said “yes” – so make a note to come see him!
Then I swept uptown to attend a private luncheon in honor of Donatella Versace. The ultimate fashion look on this occasion was sported by Daphne Guinness, who wore truly vertiginous shoes by Nina Ricci. Later that evening, I went to a book signing for Pamela Golbin’s catalogue on Madeleine Vionnet. Clearly, I will have to get to Paris before her exhibition closes at the Musée de la Mode, because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see so many dresses by one of the greatest fashion designers ever.
The following evening, I attended the Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars, where Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, Stephen Jones, Frieda Giannini, Renzo Rosso, and others were honored. Awards ceremonies have their longueurs, but Iman gave an absolutely stellar speech and Simon Doonan made us laugh out loud. Sadly, the next day I was tortured at the dentist, who used phrases like “a bloody mess” to describe my mouth.
Late the following week, I flew to Mexico City to give a talk about the Museum at FIT. The Universidad Iberoamericana was holding a big design conference, so I met a lot of interesting scholars and artists from around the world. I also got to experience a little bit of the Day of the Dead, when fashion designer Lydia Lavin took me to a cemetery.
So now I’m back at the salt mines, and tomorrow we have the opening reception for Patricia’s glorious new exhibition, American Beauty.
In Blog November 6th, 2009
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