Art and clothing and everything ‘In-Between’
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute is a mecca for wannabe designers and those who follow the Carrie Bradshaw logic of prioritizing style over all else, sometimes even food. But a fashion obsession isn’t required to enjoy the museum’s new exhibit opening May 4, Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between.
Nor is an understanding of design history or what the term “deconstructed” means. An open mind, maybe. Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo’s name is a mouthful (pronounced ray cow-uh-kooh-bo), as is her line, Comme des Garçons (“like some boys” in French). But New York City visitors shouldn’t let the unfamiliar names and terminology deter them from a trip to the 5th Avenue museum.
The white-walled exhibit is broken into nine sections, each examining “in-betweenness.” It’s possible to get caught up in the heady philosophical questions Kawakubo poses in her works, like the dichotomy of absence and presence. Yet, it’s also possible to enjoy it as a more surfacelevel brain teaser: Is this art or clothing? Is clothing art?
Those questions are at the core of why the 74-year-old designer has been hailed as a revolutionary, and are on full display in the 140 piece collection. The exhibit guidebook suggests a pathway through the circular layout inhabited by puzzle-piece-like structures framing the garments, but guests also are encouraged to chose their own adventures.
“Everyone says a skirt has to be sewn with the seams on the in- side? Well, what if I try it on the outside?” a museum-goer staring at the white patchwork skirt and tattered shirt in Section 2 can imagine the designer asking herself. Equally fun is envisioning Kawakubo handing a crumpled piece of paper to her design team and asking for a pattern to be made using its qualities, which apparently was the genesis of the brown paper dress in the section.
If you’re eager to find recognizable looks, head to Section 5, called “Elite Culture / Popular Culture.” There you’ll find the tutus and leather jackets from Kawakubo’s 2005 show Ballerina Motorbike. They are the most wearable, and even Forever 21 sells a version of a ballerina skirt and a faux motorcycle jacket.
Section 6 is Kawakubo’s take on clothing worn to social rituals. Gazing at the layered, Victorian-looking dresses and headpieces, it’s hard not to wonder why we don’t wear such elaborate veils for funerals and weddings.
Section 9 has pieces familiar to Vogue readers and Rihanna fans. Those who followed Monday night’s gala may catch a petal dress akin to the Bahamian singer’s, and one worn by Katy Perry for the May issue of the magazine.
Because many of us are more familiar with modern art exhibits in sterile-looking galleries than we are couture fashion presentations, In-Between may be a counterintuitive cross-over hit. Its predecessor, 2016’s Manus x Machina exhibit, drew more than 750,000 people.
“I know we get a lot of people who will laugh at it and not see the intention — the ones who reduce fashion to wearability,” Kawakubo’s husband and partner, Adrian Joffe, told Vogue before the opening. “But I hope most people will be inspired by it.”
The exhibit is open through Sept. 4. Tickets can be purchased at the museum or online; $25 for adults, $17 for seniors, $12 for students, and free for members and children under 12.