LACMA's New Exhibit Celebrates Paradigm Shifts in Fashion
An upcoming exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, “Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection,” recognizes designers who think—or thought—outside the box.
The exhibit, which opens Sept. 17, will feature garments dating from the 1980s to the present day that challenged the traditional techniques of Western tailoring. Garments from designers such as Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garccedil;ons, John-Paul Gaultier, Norma Kamali, Madame Gres, Hussein Chalayan, Azzedine Alaia, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake, among others, will be featured.
“This is not an exhibition of the fabulous theatrical runway pieces,” said Kaye Spilker, a cocurator of the exhibit with senior curator and department head Sharon Takeda. “The point is what has happened since the 1980s to change the way we look at things.”
Spilker gives the example of Rei Kawakubo. Exposed seams and tattered edges before the 1980s would have been considered poor construction, but when Kawakubo presented a deconstructed style, she opened the possibilities of what could be considered high fashion. Now, those design flourishes are commonly found in today’s clothing.
“Breaking the Mode” will explore different themes—including “construction,” “materials,” “form” and “concept”—to illustrate how these ideas have changed since the 1980s.
In some cases, vintage garments will be shown alongside a contemporary piece for contrast. One such reference piece includes a quintessential 1950s Christian Dior cocktail dress in the hourglass shape. “There was nothing left to chance with Dior. Every single wrinkle, every single pleat was stitched down, and it was perfect,” Spilker said. “It was almost like an outer shell that never moved.” She said this Dior cocktail dress would be paired with a Gaultier dress that “twists and turns,” where “the whole structure of the dress changes with every step you take.”
Some of the exhibit’s more focused subcategories bring the ideas closer to home with styles that can be seen at the latest contemporary boutiques. The “concept” section will include “innerwear as outerwear,” which cites Vivienne Westwood’s corsets. A “construction” subcategory will focus on “the interactive garment,” which includes a Dolce & Gabbana blouse with multiple buttons that match up to a multitude of buttonholes all over the blouse.
For more information, call (323) 857-6000, or visit www.lacma.org. —Rhea Cortado
