Last fashion week we had the honor of being invited to the preview of PUNK: Chaos to Couture exhibition, at The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Debuting May 9, 2013 with a final date of August 14, 2013, the collection will look at punk’s effect on “haute couture” or high fashion from its 1970s naissance through its impact today. Made possible by Moda Operandi with added backing by Condé Nast, this artistic showcase provides an opportunity for fashion lovers and naysayers alike to revere in the influence fashion has had on society aesthetically and politically.
“Punk’s signature mixing of references was fueled by artistic developments such as Dada and postmodernism,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “so it makes sense to present this exhibition in a museum that also shows the broader output of those movements. Indeed, that dialogue between art and fashion is what makes The Costume Institute so singular.”
The exhibition will feature around 100 men’s and women’s original designer pieces next to current comparable pieces to demonstrate how high fashion and ready-to-wear have taken ideas symbolic of the punk era with designs by Thom Browne, Christophe Decarnin (Balmain), Ann Demeulemeester, John Galliano, Nicolas Ghesquière (Balenciaga), Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel),Alexander McQueen, Franco Moschino and Rossella Jardini (Moschino), Hedi Slimane (Saint Laurent), Gianni Versace, Vivienne Westwood and more . Ultimately growing into something more prominent than what is seen on the runway, the exhibition, for me, will allow for a dialogue of what fashion has done and how it will alter societies culturally, in the coming decades.
Being proceeded by the Moda Operandi , The Met Ball will be live streaming the red-carpethosted by VOGUEs William Norwich and model Hilary Rhoda. The duo will be interviewing celebrities as well as gala co-chairs including Anna Wintour, Hilary Rhoda and Lauren Santo Domingo. Not only will the evening feature gowns by designers available for order straight off the red carpet, Riccardo Tischii, but Norwich and Rhoda will be taking question submissions via Facebook and Twitter (#MetQuestions).