Vociferous Whimsy

Fashion and art, what about wearable art?

Recently I posted a video from the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art which discussed the differences and similarities between art and fashion, as well as the place of both in our daily lives. It was an interesting and lively debate, but I felt one obvious area was overlooked and that is the area of wearable art.

Wearable art uses the body as a canvas and transforms something functional, like an item of clothing, into a piece of art that is worn. Conceptually this can take many forms. Haute couture, for example, can be regarded as art that is worn, due to the extensive skill and many hours of work that goes into each gown. It has elements of the realisation of an idea, that of the designer, as well as the collaboration of the artist/designer’s team, as in a traditional or contemporary workshop where ideas are carried out by crafts people. 

The garments created for performances such as Cirque du Soleil might be regarded as wearable art. The body paintings by Joanne Gair too contain skill, illusion as well as a focus specifically on painting.

The QAG/GoMA discussion centred on fashion, so there is acknowledgement that fashion can be art some of the time, and vice versa too. What was missing was the necessary suggestion that when art and fashion meet they can form wearable art, which can serve to blur the aesthetic intentions of both fashion and art.

Costumes which are created by a range of practitioners for the New Zealand World of Wearable Art Awards can certainly be seen as the pinnacle of this idea. Taking the concept literally and to its end points the creators of WOW aim to take art off the wall and place it on the body, combining elements of theatre, dance and fashion parade to present a brilliant show every year.

The images above are a collection I’ve put together of my favourites from among the winners, (obviously there wasn’t room to include them all.) See the World of Wearable Art website for more pictures. 

I’ve been reading a lot about Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice lately. Over the Christmas holidays I read the novel, sometimes out loud to my partner, followed by P.D James’ Death Comes to Pemberley (2011), which is set six years after the original using James’ renowned skills in crime fiction. A page turner which does some very interesting things, I would recommend it to Austin fans, but suggest it’s not what you expect.

Recently I was gifted The Making of Pride and Prejudice, which follows the 1995 BBC production of Austin’s book. This is my favourite adaptation of P&P and after reading the ‘making of’ it’s easy to see why it has stood the test of time. 

Above is a selection of textiles I have curated from the Victoria and Albert Museum which reflect what we’ve come to regard as the P&P aesthetic, the Regency era (1811-20).

Costume designers for the BBC production would have looked at the V&A but it was closed at the time. They looked to the London Museum and to experts working in the field. The was to achieve a natural look, this was something the whole production also aimed for - specifically to avoid what had become the clichés of past period costume drama productions. 
During the period of Pride and Prejudice (which was published 1813), inspiration for fashion came from Ancient Greece, I think this is clear in the gowns I’ve selected.

Image 1,2, 3 and 4 - Muslin Gown, unknown artist/maker, c. 1800, muslin with floral pattern produced in India. Muslin is a very sheer, thin fabric so shawls were worn around the shoulders, as shown here.

Images 5, 6 and 7 - Block printed cotton gown, unknown artist/maker, 1795-1799, block printed cotton with pattern inspired by Indian textiles. This style remained popular until end 18th century. A good example of what Bennett sisters could theoretically have worn as younger women.

It seems textiles won’t leave me alone, these recent posts have happened organically and who am I to resist a small sojourn into the land of fashion? Above is a curated collection from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY which I somehow stumbled upon this morning.

From top, left to right:

Chombard, House of Dior, Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957), fall/winter 1954–55. Materials: silk, simulated pearls, beads, sequins, rhinestones, plastic.

Dress, Evening, House of Dior, Yves Saint Laurent (French (born Algeria) Oran 1936–2008 Paris), fall/winter 1958–59. Materials: nylon, rhinestones (strass), simulated pearls.

Detail of Evening Dress, as above.

Venus, House of Dior, Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957), fall/winter 1949–50. Materials: silk, sequins, rhinestones, simulated pearls.

Venus, House of Dior, Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957), fall/winter 1949–50. Materials: silk, sequins, rhinestones, simulated pearls.

Detail of Venus, as above.

These are fairly hi-res images so might take a second to load. 
While we’re on textiles, do you have a favourite era? The 1950s is certainly one of mine.