Style icons
In its first foray into fashion for 73 years, MOMA honours world-changing wardrobe
MOMA makes a fashion foray
In 1944, the Museum of Modern Art in New York staged its first fashion exhibition, ‘Are Clothes Modern?’. Put together by architect and curator Bernard Rudofsky, the show explored attitudes towards clothes at a time when soon-to-be-outmoded traditions still prevailed, from superfluous pockets and buttons to rigid female silhouettes.
Despite its forward-thinking provocations, MOMA has not devoted another exhibition to the field of fashion since. Until now, that is. This month, the museum presents ‘Items: Is Fashion Modern?’, a comprehensive exploration of fashion design that considers the effects specific garments and accessories have had on society. Curated by Paola Antonelli, MOMA’S senior curator in the department of architecture and design, and curatorial assistant Michelle Millar Fisher, the show brings together 111 iconic fashion typologies from the last century that have had a universal and lasting impact.
‘When I started at MOMA 23 years ago, I noticed that there was no fashion and I started asking around why,’ says Antonelli. ‘I got many explanations about the fact that modern design is timelessness and fashion is ephemeral, but it didn’t make too much
‘The 1944 exhibition was not a fashion show – it really thought about garments in a critical way’
sense to me. So I began keeping a running list that I called “garments that changed the world”.’ About three years ago, MOMA director Glenn Lowry suggested Antonelli make a show out of that list.
‘Items’ brings together sartorial archetypes such as the biker jacket, the white T-shirt and the bikini. Some are represented by multiple examples to give a sense of evolution: there are little black dresses by Dior, Versace and Rick Owens, and suits by Armani, Carlo Brandelli and Thom Browne. Added to these are contemporary icons such as Adidas’ Superstar trainers, Levi’s 501 jeans and Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking tuxedo, all chosen for their revolutionary impact. Antonelli’s anthropological approach considers each item’s cultural, technological, economic, political and aesthetic relevance.
‘We were inspired by the 1944 exhibition,’ Antonelli says. ‘That was not a fashion show – it really thought about garments in a critical way. What is interesting about design is the way it interacts with the world, not just the beauty of the object taken out of context.’ MOMA’S new show prompts the public to form their own views in the size, image and gender debates that now loom over fashion. But the design process is put back in the spotlight with 19 specially commissioned prototypes that riff on their predecessors, suggesting how each item could evolve.
Central Saint Martins alumnus Ryohei Kawanishi has created one such piece. The New York-based designer’s take on the guayabera shirt – a Central American and Caribbean staple that has become a symbol of immigration in the US – is not only oversized, but also festooned with politically charged embroideries arranged in patterns inspired by Afghan war rugs, Vietnam War souvenir jackets and Cuban media. ‘The guayabera shirt is said to be Cuban, but as a stereotype image, I’ve seen it a lot in American war movies,’ says Kawanishi. ‘I tried to find a way to approach the political scene and create a dialogue with those issues.’
The piece is an example of MOMA’S intention to spark a deeper understanding of ordinary items we see every day. ‘It’s really a design show in which objects give you a chance to not only think about aesthetics, style, politics and anthropology, but also just the way we live,’ Antonelli says.∂ ‘Items: Is Fashion Modern?’ is at MOMA from 1 October 2017 to 28 January 2018, moma.org