Throughout history many famous authors have often claimed that "nothing is impossible", but in fashion this statement seems to be genuinely true. The history of fashion features indeed designers who have experimented with the most extravagant materials, who have played with exaggerated silhouettes, altered the human form or used unlikely combinations of colours.
A recently opened exhibition at the Madrid-based Museo del Traje explores the fascinating possible/impossible dichotomy in fashion through 55 looks, all taken from the rich and understated collection of the museum.
Entitled "La Moda Imposible" (Impossible Fashion) The event, curated by Juan Gutiérrez, features innovative designs from the '60s to our days, all of them tackling fashion and social revolutions and counter-revolutions. Some of them can be filed under the avant-garde label, others are conceptual or arty, each of them chronicles the radical changes that marked the history of fashion.
Designers included range from Yves Saint Laurent to Comme des Garçons, passing through Biba, Rudi Gernreich, Courrèges, Paco Rabanne, Capucci, Mugler and Moschino. There is definitely something for everybody: younger visitors will fall in love with the polyethylene terephthalate "Puk Warrior" dress by Walter Van Beirendonck; more mature fashion fans will be pleased to see a classic 1965 silk gown by Valentino; visitors on the lookout for designs connected with the currently extremely trendy David Bowie mania will rediscover rare Kansai Yamamoto designs, while fashionistas into conceptual garments will be able to admire a Margiela jacket with a very unusual fastening system.
The most interesting thing in the exhibition is the division in themes: "impossible" garments are studied by looking at unusual colour combinations, avant-garde construction and deconstruction techniques, message they convey and materials (this is a particularly exciting part since it looks at acetate, aluminium, nylon, polyester, elastane, polyurethane, lurex, but also at new materials and techniques including nanotechnologies and electronic textiles).
The museum and the curator should be praised first and foremost for organising the event in a very accessible way (the exhibition catalogue in Spanish is available online), for including also trendy yet forgotten pieces such as a skirt by Modzart's John Dove and Molly White (matched with a BOY shirt) or hybridic ensembles suspended between British and Japanese fashion such as Kansai Yamamoto's, and last but not least, for reuniting fashion with the streets, the place where the most successful trends came from (Versace docet).
This very relevant theme (consider how genuine street style has been invaded by branding and by a consistent lack of originality and a strong will to embrace and conform to popular trends) is tackled in a sort of appendix to the exhibition entitled "Moda a la carta" (Fashion à la carte) that explores personalisation, vintage and DIY.
What inspired this exhibition and what fascinates you the most about its main theme?
Juan Gutiérrez: The exhibition is designed primarily to show the audience a part of the contemporary fashion collection of the Museum, that, for various reasons, is not represented in our permanent exhibitions. Since the museum was founded in 2004 the collection has considerably expanded, especially the part devoted to fashion after 1960, and today we can boast of having one of the best collections in Europe. But before showcasing this collection, we wanted to introduce the public to spectacular items but also to other pieces that were once considered groundbreaking but that are perfectly normal today. The idea we want to emphasize - and that particularly interests me - is that in the second half of the 20th century, a series of changes happened that affected social behaviour and determined a new way of interpreting a garment. With the youth revolution and the development of today's consumer society, fashion expanded its boundaries beyond what until then had been considered acceptable. Nudity, experimental materials, the intrinsic meaning of a garment and the messages encoded in that garment, the erasing of the boundaries between casual and elegant or the proliferation of bizarre shapes and colours, all happened in the second half of the century, developing around the idea of youth, which has since operated as a central reference for many designers.
Is everything genuinely possible in fashion?
Juan Gutiérrez: Somehow the title of the exhibition draws attention to this paradox: when we talk about "impossible fashion" we're talking about things that have already been made, that is, things that are not therefore impossible and yet, many of these pieces can be labeled as "impossible" for consumers because they would never wear them. So we should be wondering if there are no limits and the answer may be no, but with some exceptions. That anything is possible is highlighted by unlikely pieces such as more conceptual designs like Hussein Chalayan or Martin Margiela's, but to enter the realm of fashion, these proposals must be adopted by consumers and that is the most difficult step. That's where we determine whether or not an item is possible or impossible.
Can you take us through a virtual tour of the exhibition?
Juan Gutiérrez: The exhibition is divided into four sections that address the most striking innovations in the fields of materials, colours, structure and message. As an epilogue, there is a fifth section called "Moda a la Carta" (Fashion à la carte) in which we discuss trends born in the second half of the century, like customised looks, vintage fashion or DIY (Do It Yourself). But more than the garments, the protagonists are the designers who created the pieces showcased, among which we find many of the most significant ones in the recent decades - Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Pucci, Oleg Cassini, Rudi Gernreich, Krizia, Paco Rabanne, Biba, Marimekko, Halston, Alaïa, Gaultier, Margiela, Moschino, Lacroix and so on. For a more detailed content of the exhibition, I invite you to download the free catalogue from the Museum's website.
Why was selecting the designs difficult?
Juan Gutiérrez: The selection of pieces has been difficult for two reasons: the museum collection is extensive and we wanted to show garments that had never been featured in our previous events. In addition it was necessary to find a good balance in the selection that would create an accessible dialogue, which, I think, we achieved. We enjoyed making the choice because all the pieces are taken from our collection and this avoided further selection-related stress and because we have managed to pick the most avant-garde garments on offer.
Which is your favorite piece and why?
Juan Gutiérrez: It is very difficult to select a single piece since the exhibition features many vitally important ones. We do have iconic pieces such as the minidress with two strips of transparent vinyl by Rudi Gernreich (as seen on the cover of Time magazine in 1967), the dress construction kit by Paco Rabanne and the resulting dress, plus the Souper Dress, with a printed pattern of Campbell soup tins, a piece coveted by fashion museums all over the world. There are also less known designs that could be interpreted as wonderful examples of the achievements of fashion in recent decades. Among my favorites there is a subtly asymmetric piece by Yohji Yamamoto, a dress by Ossie Clark from 1971 and its more recent replica made in the '90s by Maison Martin Margiela. And of course a Valentino couture dress that is a pleasure to look at because of its impressive display of colours.
What did you learn while working on the exhibition?
Juan Gutiérrez: First, that these days the word impossible is not worth much. In a world where we tend to think that everything has been invented, the impossible seems to have disappeared. Secondly, I think the value of youth as a driver of change in contemporary fashion has not been sufficiently appreciated. I have also learnt that the general public is more receptive to radical proposals if offered in the right context. In that sense I am very happy with our choices, selection and divisions of themes because I think the original idea of bringing the avant-garde to the streets (natural birthplace of the avant-garde itself...) is working very well.
In terms of materials, which is the most "impossible" garment on display? And in terms of construction or techniques?
Juan Gutiérrez: For what regards the material, I think Paco Rabanne's designs, but there is also a design by Xavier Navarro, a little known Spanish fashion designer, that is very interesting. It's called the "Rhodoïd" dress and the name comes from the same plastic-based material that Rabanne used for his designs. Helmut Lang's dress with its technological finish that reminds us of a synthetic material when in fact it is 100% silk is also notable. In terms of construction, Japanese designers are the most striking: we have a 1983 design by Comme des Garçons, which is a hymn to pure deconstruction, then a dress by Miyake with a very peculiar pattern but very easy to wear. Alaïa is also important in this field and we have him represented with a fantastic set of blouse and skirt in which he reinterprets in his own fascinating and complex way the more traditional construction of such garments.
And which is the most iconic piece in the exhibition?
Juan Gutiérrez: In my opinion, Rudi Gernreich's mini-dress, because it marked a major change in fashion in the American society. Its appearance on the cover of Time magazine confirmed the official arrival of youth style and of the nude look.
Which of the designers featured in the exhibition has pushed further the limits of fashion in their collections?
Juan Gutiérrez: Yves Saint Laurent, undoubtedly and in every way; Rudi Gernreich for what regards young and carefree fashion charged with a revolutionary message; Courrèges, as high fashion innovator and style changer of the European elites; Paco Rabanne for merging fashion and art; Moschino and Gaultier for the meanings they charged their clothes with; Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo for their new ways to approach the construction of the clothes.
Can this show be considered also as a way to study the changes the human body went through in the last 60 years?
Juan Gutiérrez: Of course. All that has to do with fashion has to do also with the social and individual perception of the body, the way we express ourselves and the way we move, our gestures and standards of beauty. In my opinion, the most interesting aspects of fashion are not the garments themselves, but the way they shape and sculpt the human body and the way wearers interpret specific garments to suit their own desires and reflect the idea of what their bodies should look like.
La Moda Imposible - Moda de vanguardia, Museo del Traje, Avenida de Juan de Herrera 2, Madrid, until 16th June 2013.
Image credits:
All images courtesy of Museo del Traje, CIPE; photography by Javier Maza
1. Rudi Gernreich,1967
2. Paco Rabanne, 1966
3. The Souper Dress, 1967
4. Yohji Yamamoto, 1989
5. Detail, Maison Margiela, 1989
6. Maison Margiela, 1989
7. Thierry Mugler, 1990
8. Kansai Yamamoto, 1989
9. Comme des Garçons, 1991
10. Kansai, 1985
11. Valentino, 1965
12. Dress Construction Kit by Paco Rabanne, 1996
13. Xavier Navarro, 2000
14. Amaya Arzuaga, 2002
15. Moschino, 1994
16. Issey Miyake, 2000
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Visiting this post one word that came out of my mouth is Incredible! This exhibition is outstanding with superb designs. Enjoyed reading the questions and answers in this post! This is really a fascinating blog, lots of stuff that I can get into.
Posted by: zambezi clothing | March 22, 2013 at 09:26 AM
Madrid not just shows there rich culture and beautiful place but it has also a great stuff of fashion. When it comes to latest, they never left behind. That's why I love Madrid. Don't miss to visit
Posted by: Daphne | April 02, 2013 at 05:01 AM