Inspired by reports on Paris's fashion week, wrapping up now, we reserved this weekend for the similarly-themed temporary expo at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, "Fashioning Fashion," on tour from LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Though we'd seen half the place back in December, we'd skipped over the fashion, textiles, and jewelry section. Yesterday, we walked through several centuries's worth of European fashion statements.
Clothing is an art that just seems to have life breathed into it; indeed, it is an art made to breathe in (though sometimes just barely!). Rather than hung on a wall or placed on a pedestal, clothing is an art that invites the viewer intimately in. I find clothing a fantastic cross between utility and aesthetics. Fashion, much more vividly than any history lecture, lets you peek into the trends, the lifestyles, the adventures and the daily routines of lives in eras long gone. Only a little imagination is required to cross the glass displays and slip onself into the shoes of the people from the worlds of history textbooks and Jane Austen novels.
Come time travel for a moment with me!
Top left: Late 18th century French fashion statement. (The best part is how contrastingly flat it is in the back. I'd love to see someone spin in one of those.) Top, second to left: Just some light 19th century ladies' beachware, entering all proper ladies' wardrobes as train transport made travel to the beach much more feasible. Top, second from right: A 19th century "dandy" poses next to a brief history of "dandies," who first appeared in the 18th century, and were later revived in above incarnation, as eccentrically dressed fashionable men representing the "new aristocracy" based "on spirit, not on birth."(Can anyone say hipster?) Top right: In the early 19th century, women's waistlines shot up from the hips to just under the bust and colonialism began to show its influence on trends, as shown in this woman's turban-inspired hat. Bottom left: Three 18th century skirts, from left to right the Polish, French, and English styles. Bottom, second to left: An early 20th century Eastern-inspired feather-topped fashion statement. Middle right: Apparently, in the 19th century, being curvaceous was all in the waist and hips: bustles seriously enhanced these ladies rears whereas no evidence indicates that any padding was used around the bust. Bottom, second from right: A selection of 18th century men's hats used to keep warm and show one's fashion sense indoors after removing the standard large white curly wig of that era. Bottom right: Classic 18th century men's suits, featuring sparkling embroidery and plenty of ruffles and lace. With those outfits as the standard, what defined flamboyant back then?
Clothing is an art that just seems to have life breathed into it; indeed, it is an art made to breathe in (though sometimes just barely!). Rather than hung on a wall or placed on a pedestal, clothing is an art that invites the viewer intimately in. I find clothing a fantastic cross between utility and aesthetics. Fashion, much more vividly than any history lecture, lets you peek into the trends, the lifestyles, the adventures and the daily routines of lives in eras long gone. Only a little imagination is required to cross the glass displays and slip onself into the shoes of the people from the worlds of history textbooks and Jane Austen novels.
Come time travel for a moment with me!
Top left: Late 18th century French fashion statement. (The best part is how contrastingly flat it is in the back. I'd love to see someone spin in one of those.) Top, second to left: Just some light 19th century ladies' beachware, entering all proper ladies' wardrobes as train transport made travel to the beach much more feasible. Top, second from right: A 19th century "dandy" poses next to a brief history of "dandies," who first appeared in the 18th century, and were later revived in above incarnation, as eccentrically dressed fashionable men representing the "new aristocracy" based "on spirit, not on birth."(Can anyone say hipster?) Top right: In the early 19th century, women's waistlines shot up from the hips to just under the bust and colonialism began to show its influence on trends, as shown in this woman's turban-inspired hat. Bottom left: Three 18th century skirts, from left to right the Polish, French, and English styles. Bottom, second to left: An early 20th century Eastern-inspired feather-topped fashion statement. Middle right: Apparently, in the 19th century, being curvaceous was all in the waist and hips: bustles seriously enhanced these ladies rears whereas no evidence indicates that any padding was used around the bust. Bottom, second from right: A selection of 18th century men's hats used to keep warm and show one's fashion sense indoors after removing the standard large white curly wig of that era. Bottom right: Classic 18th century men's suits, featuring sparkling embroidery and plenty of ruffles and lace. With those outfits as the standard, what defined flamboyant back then?
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