The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Punk: Chaos to Culture”
From left, looks from Yohji Yamamoto, Viktor & Rolf and Chanel.
Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.com
Just what exactly defines the punk era? Is it anarchy, rebellion or a do-it-yourself venue that continues to engage and excite our imagination? In this compelling and outrageous exhibition, “PUNK: Chaos and Couture,” May 9 to August 14 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute,curator Andrew Bolton argues high fashion has adopted punk style more than any other counter cultural movement. The exhibition examines punk’s impact on high fashion from the movement’sbirth in the 1970s through its continuing influence today.
PUNK’S ORIGINSince its origins, punk has had an incendiary influence on fashion,” said Mr.Bolton. Punk began in the mid-1970s as youth movement centered on the music scene at New York, CBGB club and then moved to London and there it grew full blown and fashion-focused with designers Vivienne Westwood at the helm. Punk broke all the rules in a time when originality was celebrated and championed the individual’s individuality. The museum explores this visually with 100 designs for men and women.
COMPARISON VIEWSOriginal pink garments from the mid-1970s are juxtaposed with recent, directional fashion to illustrate how haute couture and ready-to-wear have borrowed punk’s visual symbols, with paillettes being replaced by safety pins, feathers with razor blades, and bugle beads with studs, and other hardware. The exhibit is organized around the materials, techniques and embellishments associated with the anti-establishment style.
GALLERY PRESENTATIONSThe seven galleries, organized thematically have designated punkheroes. The first gallery is devoted to CBGB represented by Blondie, Richard Hell, The Ramones andPatti Smith., Next gallery is inspired by Malcolm McClaren and Vivienne Westwood and their Seditionaries boutique in London. The Clothes for Heroes examines designers who extend the visual language of punk, as it was originally articulated by McClaren and Westwood. Do-it-yourself, punk’s contribution to high fashion is explored in the four final galleries focus on couture’s use of studs, spikes, chains, zippers,padlocks, safety pins and razor blade with Sid Vicious as its icon.
MUSIC and VIDEOSPresented as an immersive multimedia, multisensory experience, the clothes are animated with period music videos andsoundscaping audio techniques; original punk pieces and videos showing punk icons wearing their infamous looks. The designers includeVersace, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana and Karl Lagerfeld. It is interesting to note the couture and punk had value handcrafted, individual pieces. Bolton said, “Just as couture has made-to-measure one of a kind garments, punk would take a leather jacket and customize it so that you are the only person in the world who wears it.”
A book, Punk; Chaos To Couture, by Andrew Bolton with Prefaces by Three Punk Originals, Richard Hell, John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) and Jon Savage each contribute with enlightening and fascinating essays illustrated with photographs of vintage punks and high fashion. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A Vivienne Westwood ensemble.
Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.com
Versace’s safety pin dress that created Elizabeth Hurley.
Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.com
A Stephen Sprouse dress works a graffiti vibe.
Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.com
Photo via The Epoch Times
Images via www.sentinelandenterprise.com
A series of Comme des Garçons dresses against a video wall featuring Johnny Rotten.
Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.com
