Hamish Bowles monograph on the influence of regional vernacular on the Spanish designer is wonderfully detailed and much more informative than the book that was offered with the YSL exhibit.
Inspirational matador coats and resultant boleros.
The ollection included the metamorphic kelly green caterpillar/cocoon cape/dress. Flat pack capes in green (above) and yellow (shown in the book) are ingenious in their simplicity.
The ollection included the metamorphic kelly green caterpillar/cocoon cape/dress. Flat pack capes in green (above) and yellow (shown in the book) are ingenious in their simplicity.
Voluminous red silk coat.
Series of black dresses, highlighting unique forms.
Pert New Look suits and lace gowns.
Flamenco influences.
While the pieces themselves are amazing, the De Young likes to cram the fashion exhibits into a small roundabout up the main stair, lighted dramatically like a theater production. I find the pieces don't have space to breathe this way and the written descriptions get confusing in density.
Set in the chiaroscuro, neon/electricity of modern life, the artifice of the flashbulb becomes a kind of explosive club energy. But while the show gains in high impact, it loses intensity in examination. Details disappear from the picture plane when cast in harsh shadows. True, these curatorial decisions evoke Goya, and Surrealism, and high drama in atmosphere much like a bustling soiree. Perhaps this encouragement to look with the glance, to shuffle through quickly and be stunned at every moment, speaks to that. But, I expect a bit more introspection for my money at a museum. Laymen only see garments as flat pictures or illustrations, so the chance to view in person what cannot be shown on paper should not be squandered.
Compare to the superb Gres exhibit in Paris as covered by the New York Times and Stylebubble, where natural light reinforces the experiential aspect of greek naturalism. Ancient sculptures and gowns are presented together, training the eye to see the garments 3 dimensionally and encouraging slow traversal around major pieces. Furthermore, garments are displayed as half size models on stands, in spare galleries, within intimate salons, or behind glass in large boxes. From each shift, the viewer intuits the workings of the atelier, the eventual use of the garment, and the intellectual journey of the curator in preserving antiquity to find meaning in detritus.
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