Exhibitions Fashion museums

The Designers Who Would Be Artists

It seems that the art world is embracing fashion and its cultural influence.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s recent Alexander McQueen exhibit, Savage Beautybroke attendance records for fashion exhibits at the institution.  Designers, especially ones specializing in couture fashion, seem to have more freedom than ever to create uniquely artistic forms.  We see designers such as the late McQueen taking inspiration from the art world and creating masterpieces in their own way.

Dress, VOSS, Alexander McQueen, razor clam shells stripped and varnished

Are these practical clothes?  No.  But then, art isn’t created for practicality’s sake.  It is created to be an outlet and a source of inspiration.  McQueen and other designers like him have taken inspiration from the forms and textures of ancient and modern sculpture to develop glorious garments that inspire.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Mary Katrantzou

Stephane Rolland

Manish Arora, Autumn/Winter 2011-2012

On a simple dressmaker’s form, these could be mistaken for museum-worthy sculptures, but when worn, they become a moving work of art.

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