A piece showcased in the late Alexander McQueen's fashion exhibition at the Met.
In a world where fashion magazines are widely read and influence many individuals, it is clear fashion plays an intricate part in society. Further, fashion today has transcended into another level where it is now considered as art and the fashion designers as artists. Fashion designers create unique, beautiful and sometimes over the top clothing that redefines what fashion is. Often times pushing the limits of the fashion world. One famous designer that comes to mind is the legendary Alexander McQueen, whose lifetime collection of work was showcased at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last summer.
A dress designed by the legendary fashion designer.
The McQueen Exhibition
According to the official Met website, the exhibition was organized by The Costume Institute, and celebrated the late Alexander McQueen’s extraordinary contributions to fashion. The exhibition featured work from McQueen’s’ 1992 Central Saint Martins postgraduate collection to his final runway presentation. McQueen challenged and expanded the understanding of fashion beyond utility to a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity. His designs– considered as iconic — showcase the work of an artist who truly cares about the ways in which to express it. The exhibition featured approximately one hundred ensembles and seventy accessories from Mr. McQueen’s prolific nineteen-year career.
An example of McQueen challenging and expanding the idea of fashion.
A Fashion Designer and an Artist
When a fashion’s designer’s collection of almost his life’s work becomes an exhibition at an art museum that proves the level of significance or regard that fashion has on the world, and how fashion has become an art. In addition, I think fashion is an art in the way that both fashion designer and artists share several similarities. Both need to be inspired for them to create their own designs or works of art. Moreover, both fashion designer and artists obtain inspiration from the world around them, and perhaps from each other, such as a fashion designer being inspired by a painting or a photograph.
By Joanne Ganthier
