NEW YORK — In this day and age where celebrities and even bloggers are looked upon to dictate how we translate runway fashion, dress up and style our clothes, it is but fitting that The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art remind us of a time when the model reigned supreme with their spring 2009 exhibition “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion.”
After all, whenever we look back to an era in fashion, we pull out images seared into our memory. Think Suzy Parker in Dior’s New Look in the ‘50s, reed-thin Twiggy in a mini dress representing the mod ‘60s, gap-toothed, all-American Lauren Hutton in a slinky Halston number in the ‘70s, supermodels Naomi, Linda, Cindy and Christy of the high-flying ‘80s, and waif-like Kate Moss as the face of ‘90s grunge.
“The Model as Muse” celebrates the interplay between high fashion and the evolving ideals of beauty, and how some of the most famous, iconic models of the 20th century have been responsible for fueling the imaginations of designers through the decades.
“The exhibition examines a timeline of fashion from 1947 to 1997 through the idealized aesthetic of the fashion model,” said Harold Koda, curator in charge of The Costume Institute. “We look at the power of clothing, fashion photography, and the model to project the look of an era. With a mere gesture, a truly stellar model can sum up the attitude of her time — becoming not only a muse to designers or photographers, but a muse to a generation.”
Every model that defined her generation is featured, like Dorian Leigh, Suzy Parker, Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy, Veruschka, Jerry Hall, Lisa Taylor, Lauren Hutton, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Stella Tennant and Kate Moss.
The exhibit features more than 70 original haute couture and ready-to-wear looks, including Balenciaga, Pierre Cardin, Chanel, Courrèges, John Galliano for Christian Dior, Rudi Gernreich, Madame Grès, Marc Jacobs, Charles James, Calvin Klein, Halston, Helmut Lang, Prada, Paco Rabanne, Yves Saint Laurent, and Versace.
Expect to see clothing only seen in iconic images such as that of Verushcka in a safari tunic from Yves Saint Laurent for Rive Gauche, Brooke Shields in Calvin Klein jeans, Natalia Vodianova and Stephanie Seymour in white techno silk lab coats, better known as the nurse outfits by Marc Jacobs and Richard Prince for Louis Vuitton.
Also included are fashion photographs from legendary photographers Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Patrick Demarchelier, Hiro, William Klein, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Juergen Teller, Deborah Turbeville, and Ellen von Unwerth.
Complementing the exhibition are runway images, large-scale projections from feature films such as Funny Face and Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo?, music, and videos of models and rock stars, actors and socialites, that show how the right face defines the fashion moment.
The exhibit is ongoing until Aug. 9, and was made possible by Marc Jacobs with support from Condé Nast Publications, at the Metropolitan Museum’s second-floor Tisch Galleries.
An on-site shop caps the exhibit, with fashion coffee table books, Richard Avedon posters, a specially designed T-shirt by Marc Jacobs ($35) and other related souvenirs for purchase.
Make sure to bring home the accompanying book to the exhibition, The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion, written by Harold Koda and Kohle Yohannan, Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale Univeristy Press, the hardcover retails for $50, the paperback $35, and is also available at Met locations including www.metmuseum.org.
A series of related films accompanies the exhibition of Friday evenings in July with introductory discussions beginning at 5:30 p.m. and screenings at 6 p.m. including Funny Face (1957), on July 10, Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? (1966) on July 17, and Unzipped (1995) on July 24.