History of Contemporary Fashion Exhibition: 1990-2010 (Paris, France)

As some may remember, a while ago I blogged about the first part of the History of Contemporary Fashion Exhibition (aka 'Histoire idéale de la mode contemporaine'), which covered the 70s and 80s. Hosted by the 'Musée des Arts Décoratifs', the showcase featured the more iconic styles of eras long forgotten by some. The second part of this installation, which was presented this Spring, might be a little closer to heart for most though, considering the pieces presented, stem from very recent history. Curated once again by Olivier Saillard, the journey through the 90s and 2000s took a look at key designers who revolutionized the fashion world and runway shows with their unique voice, whether it was the Japanese heavyweights Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo - or subsequently the Belgian designers who followed in their footsteps: Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester or Veronique Branquinho. Then there were the newcomers such as Alexander McQueen or Hussein Chalayan, not to mention the designers who gave established fashion houses a breath of fresh air: Galliano for Dior, Ford for Gucci, Lagerfeld for Chanel, Elbaz for Lanvin and Ghesquière for Balenciaga.

The key look from the exhibition poster: Maison Martin Margiela blazer.

As with all exhibitions, it was impossible for the curator to feature every designer from recent history. So while some may question the lack of American talent (with the exception of Tom Ford) or omissions which included Jil Sander, who ruled 90s minimalism, - or fellow female creatives such as Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo to name a few - it was definitely still a very well laid-out and expansive presentation. At times it was a bit odd to see pieces, which had so recently graced the runway or appeared in boutique windows, displayed in a museum setting. But if anything, it's a nice reminder that even collections of the recent past, already deserve a place in fashion history.

Apologies if some of the images aren't of the best quality. The lighting wasn't ideal for photography.


Maison Martin Margiela

Veronique Branquinho

Ann Demeulemeester


Dries van Noten


Junya Watanabe / Issey Miyake


Comme des Garçons


Yohji Yamamoto


Azzedine Alaïa


Helmut Lang


Prada


Lanvin par Claude Montana


Hussein Chalayan


Alexander McQueen

A dress from SS04, which was almost impossible to capture.

Christian Dior par John Galliano

Click here to see the rest of the exhibit, which includes Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, Lanvin, Balenciaga and more.

Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion - Exhibition (London, UK)

Before I bombard you with all the fashion treasures I uncovered in Reykjavik, I thought I'd share a post that's so long overdue, I wasn't sure if I should still bother blogging about it. But since this was one of the best fashion exhibitions I've seen to date and the subject matter is quite timeless, I thought it might be worth sharing. The 'Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion' exhibition, which most Londoners may be familiar with, was hosted by the Barbican Art Gallery and showcased avant-garde Japanese fashion from the early 80s to now. Along with visionaries such as Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, who challenged the Western fashion aesthetic and redefined it for the world, the new generation of designers such as Tao Kurihara and Mintdesigns is featured as well.

As the first gallery in Europe to extensively highlight contemporary Japanese fashion, I thought that both the Barbican and Japanese fashion historian/curator Akiko Fukai did an excellent job. What I enjoyed most (apart from the clothing) was the layout, which not only saw the numerous pieces divided and grouped in a large space surrounded by sheer fabric draped from the ceiling, but also followed an order that for once wasn't chronological. The ground floor had a thematic approach, with four categories that included 'In Praise of Shadows', 'Flatness', 'Innovation and Tradition' as well as 'Cool Japan'. The top floor presented the main Japanese designers separately and also featured additional material such as runway videos, inspirational literature and other memorabilia.

For anyone who wasn't able to attend the exhibition (which unfortunately is no longer running), I'd highly recommend getting the official book by Akiko Fukai, which can be purchased via Amazon here (and it's even on sale!). It follows the basic structure of the exhibition, but includes plenty more background information and photography. Definitely a must-read for any fashion lover.

Below you'll find a few highlights from the exhibit (and book), categorized as described above. Don't forget to click the link, to read more after the jump.

In Praise of Shadows

This section reveals the love for monochromatic shades adopted by Japanese designers, which allow a focus on details and textures, rather than color. According to Fukai, the color palette stems from the cultural sensibility attuned to light and shade, as well as the power of black.

Pieces by Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and Jun Takahashi.

More black artworks by Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto.

Flatness

This category showcased the love and contrast of both flatness and volume. During a time when Western fashion was dominated by bodycon garments, the Japanese were fascinated by creating space between fabric and body - an expression of 'ma', a Japanese concept that views voids between objects as rich, energized spaces. Commissioned by Rei Kawakubo, photographer Naoya Hatakeyama's works reveal the geometric shapes and 'flatness' of Kawakubo's garments when unworn.

Issey Miyake's famous Pleats series created extraordinary outlines which had an abstract relationship with the body.

Rei Kawakubo's voluminous gowns in contrast with their 'flatness' (courtesy of Naoya Hatakeyama) when unworn.

Innovation and Tradition

Modern Japanese design also saw the complete reinvention of traditional garments and techniques, such as the kimono and origami, as well as the integration of traditional patterns in contemporary pieces.

These incredible Issey Miyake pieces showed how garments were created from just one piece of long fabric.

The use of structural origami inspired techniques as used by Yohji Yamamoto (top left), Junya Watanabe (lower row) and the beautiful gold dress by Koji Tatsuno.

Rei Kawakubo's use of Japanese iconography, embroidery and layering for Comme des Garçons.

Traditional patterns and structures reinvented by (starting left) Kenzo, Matohu, Yohji Yamamoto and Tao Kurihara.

Cool Japan

The final section on the lower level presented the young wave of designers influenced primarily by Japanese streetstyle and the crop of independent labels that defined the look in the Harajuku area. In addition to the use of manga and cartoon characters, the showcase lightly touches on the cosplay (costume play) phenomenon, as well as the Lolita and Gothic Lolita styles which have made their mark on Japanese high fashion.

This colorful area featured manga and other cartoon inspired designs. Pieces by Ohya, Zucca and Junya Watanabe.

Looks by Jun Takahashi for Undercover (top). A playful dress with a 'doll' collar by Fumito Ganryu (lower left) and a frilly number by Tao Kurihara for Tao Comme des Garçons.

The second part of the exhibition, which focuses on individual designers (including Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake, Junya Watanabe and more), can be viewed after the jump.

History Of Contemporary Fashion Exhibition - 70s/80s (Paris, France)

With the end of Paris Fashion Week looming, and everyone eager for all that is FW11, it's sometimes nice to take a step back... or almost literally step back in time. One of my favorite museums, the 'Musée des Arts Décoratifs', which had previously hosted terrific exhibitions dedicated to Madeleine Vionnet and Sonia Rykiel, recently decided to present a complete history of fashion spanning the four decades between 1970-2010. Titled 'Histoire idéale de la mode contemporaine' ('an idealized history of contemporary fashion') curator Oliver Saillard, who has also published a book under the same name, decided to showcase long forgotten works by some of today's finest couturiers. Split in two parts, the first exhibition, which covers the 70s and 80s, ended last year, but if you're in Paris now, I strongly urge you to check out part two (90s and 00s) which will be featured on this blog soon.

The first looks at the entrance displayed early YSL and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Though the 70s and 80s, don't necessarily trigger fond memories in the eyes of fashion critics, it was the more controversial works of Yves Saint Laurent (and his infamous 1971 collection) as well as Jean-Paul Gaultier's tattoo and cone-shaped bust pieces at the end of the 80s, that inspired Saillard to examine how modern couture sought to provoke and became ingrained with celebrity. Other highlights of the more low-key kind include Karl Lagerfeld's stint at Chloé and his first collections for Chanel, as well as the rising popularity of Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons, Kenzo and Issey Miyake. Couturiers that ruled the 80s, such as Thierry Mugler, Christian Lacroix and Azzedine Alaïa were represented as well.

Arranged on two levels (each decade presented on a different floor), the exhibition was very well laid out, while the actual pieces were stunning to behold. The pictures I took are only meant to provide you with a glimpse of my impressions but hardly reflect how incredible and timeless most of these gowns still look to this day. If you're not in Paris anytime soon or want to see more/better images and read the accompanying text, I recommend you pick up Saillard's book, which can be ordered here.

Don't forget to check out more pictures (which include Chanel and Gaultier) after the jump.

Madame Grès

The feminine draping of Madame Grès, a favorite of Grace Kelly (1978).

Sonia Rykiel / Cacharel

More for the ladies, including Rykiel's soft knits (1974-1977) and Cacharel's Liberty prints (FW 75/76).

Chloé par Karl Lagerfeld

Hard to believe these are the works of Kaiser Karl (early to mid 70s).

Issey Miyake / Jean-Charles de Castelbajac / Ter et Bantine / Kenzo

Top left: Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (1974). Lower left: Ter et Bantine par Chantal Thomass (1972). Center: Issey Miyake (1974). Right: Kenzo (1971-1978).

Yves Saint Laurent

YSL's 70s art-inspired collection.

Claude Montana

Structured and leather pieces by Claude Montana (1978).

Thierry Mugler

Starting the 80s portion of the exhibition, the Mugler pieces were definitely the biggest draw and kept me coming back. Lady Gaga can prance around in Nicola Formichetti's creations all she wants, but nothing beats the 80s originals.

Beyond gorgeous, the ballerina dress dating back to 1986 decorated the stairwell, while the shiny 'angel' gowns (FW 84/85) had a group of schoolgirls (and me) literally glued to the glass cases. The winged gown on the left is the same one used for the exhibition's poster shot (top of the post).

Even the black dresses were eye-catchers, especially the one in the center adorned with headlights.

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

The wonderful crazy world of Castelbajac including coats made of toy animals and dresses featuring giant prints (1983/84).

Popy Moreni

The most beautiful chiffon gowns...

Yohji Yamamoto / Issey Miyake / Comme des Garçons

Clean lines, structural shapes and colorful draping courtesy of Yamamoto (top left, bottom right, 1987/88), Rei Kawakubo (lower left, 1983-1989) and Miyake (center, top right, 1980).