Fashion in Museums

What I really like about fashion is the fact that it is a kind of art but simultaneously it is at arm’s length. There is no denying that designing and sewing is hand’s on process, the same as stretching the canvas and using colors in order to create an image in paint. Both a designer and a painter are artists and in my view, they have to be equally appreciated.  

Thanks to this, I am very glad that the two famous museums- Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Metropolitan Museum in New York opened exhibitions in order to honour beautiful ballgowns and red carpet evening dresses and so their originators.

Starting with London, the exhibition name is “Ballgowns, British Glamour Since 1950” and one is able to see it from May 19, 2012 to January 6, 2013. To cut a long story short, it covers over sixty years of British fashion by displaying around sixty designs for many events, namely: royal balls, movie’s premieres, private parties and opening nights. This is a retrospection of the greatest masterpieces of Alexander McQueen,  Giles Deacon, Erdem and Jenny Packham and many more. If you are not familiar with the names, the exhibition is still worth visiting as it is a possibility to admire the gowns which were worn by Queen Elizabeth or Princess Diana on the most important occasions. For those who are more into present days, the collections also includes dresses worn by actresses, singers and celebrities such as Sundra Bullock or Bianca Jagger.

To visit the Metropolitan Museum in NY one has to hurry up as the exhibition is on view from May 10 to August 19, 2012. “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations” takes an advantage of the kinship and closeness in perceiving fashion by the two Italian designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. It depicts how the ideas of the two creators were connected, concerning innovative ideas and perfect sewing techniques. Those incredible women explore similar themes in their work through various approaches and that is why seeing their masterpieces one could not take their eyes off. Their designs are arranged in seven themed galleries "Waist Up/Waist Down," "Ugly Chic," "Hard Chic," "Naif Chic," "The Classical Body," "The Exotic Body," and "The Surreal Body."