The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion

Last updated

The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion was a fashion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that ran from May 6 to August 9, 2009. It focused on iconic fashion models of the twentieth century who inspired fashion in their respective eras. Organized by historical period from 1947 to 1997, the exhibition was made possible by Marc Jacobs with additional funding from Condé Nast. [1] It was curated by Harold Koda and Kohle Yohannan. [2]

The exhibition featured photographs of many of the top models from the last half of the twentieth century, such as Twiggy, Jerry Hall, Beverly Johnson, Iman, Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista. [3] It also showcased some of the most prominent dresses and other articles of clothing these women made famous, like the black gown with a white sash Yves Saint Laurent designed for Christian Dior worn by model Dovima as she stood between elephants in a well-known Richard Avedon photo. [4] Designers in the exhibition included Giorgio Armani, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pierre Cardin, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Helmut Lang, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, and Gianni Versace. [5]

The New York Times review of the exhibition noted, "the exhibition feels in search of a legitimate center, a justification — beyond icon-mongering — to spend so much time looking at pretty faces. By its very title, The Model as Muse presents an idealized relationship between photographer and model, or designer and model, and while much of the work in fashion is collaborative, the fact is that many designers and photographers are major control freaks. And some just outright dismiss the role of models." [6] The Boston Globe called it "a wonderful show." [2] The British Daily Telegraph described it as "a lavish tribute to iconic models who have worked at the forefront of the industry." [7]

An accompanying catalogue was edited by Koda and Yohannan. [8] It was published by MetPublications and Yale University Press. Library Journal called it, "A glossy and admiring look at the last half century of fashion imagery through its most iconic models and the styles they personified. For anyone who loves fashion photography." [9]

The annual gala benefit, known as the "Met Ball," took place on May 4, 2009, with approximately 650 guests including Madonna, Donald Trump and his wife Melania, Donatella Versace, Victoria Beckham, and John Galliano. [10] Marc Jacobs served as the honorary chair of the gala with co-chairs Kate Moss, Justin Timberlake, and Anna Wintour. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yves Saint Laurent (designer)</span> French fashion designer (1936–2008)

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, referred to as Yves Saint Laurent or YSL, was a French fashion designer who, in 1962, founded his eponymous fashion label. He is regarded as being among the foremost fashion designers of the twentieth century. In 1985, Caroline Milbank wrote, "The most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past twenty-five years, Yves Saint Laurent can be credited with both spurring the couture's rise from its 1960s ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donatella Versace</span> Italian fashion luxury designer (born 1955)

Donatella Francesca Versace is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion company Versace, with whom she worked closely on the development of the brand and in particular its combining of Italian luxury with pop culture and celebrity. Upon Gianni's death in 1997, she inherited a portion of the Versace brand and became its creative director. She is currently the brand's chief creative officer. Along with her brother Gianni, she is widely credited for the supermodel phenomenon of the 1990s by casting editorial models on the runway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Avedon</span> American photographer (1923–2004)

Richard Avedon was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and Elle specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and dance. An obituary published in The New York Times said that "his fashion and portrait photographs helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esther Cañadas</span> Spanish actor and model

Esther Cañadas is a Spanish model and actress, one of the biggest supermodels from Spain, alongside Helena Barquilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dovima</span> American actress

Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba, known professionally as Dovima, was an American supermodel during the 1950s.

Edita Vilkevičiūtė is a Lithuanian fashion model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigrid Agren</span> French model from Martinique

Sigrid Agren is a French model from Martinique, who rose to prominence during the Elite Model Look in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Met Gala</span> Annual fundraising gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Costume Institute

The Met Gala or Met Ball, formally called the Costume Institute Gala or the Costume Institute Benefit, is an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. The Met Gala is popularly regarded as the world's most prestigious and glamorous fashion event and social gathering and is known as "fashion's biggest night"; an invitation is highly sought after. Personalities who are perceived to be culturally relevant to contemporary society amongst various professional spheres, including fashion, film, television, music, theater, business, sports, social media, and politics, are invited to attend the Met Gala, organized by the fashion magazine Vogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guinevere Van Seenus</span> American model (born 1977)

Guinevere van Seenus is an American model, photographer and jewelry designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slip dress</span> Thin, usually bias-cut dress with narrow shoulder straps, similar to a womans slip

A slip dress is a woman's dress that closely resembles an underslip or petticoat. It is traditionally cut on the bias, with spaghetti straps. The slip dress looked like an undergarment, but was intended to be seen, and through the use of lace and sheer elements, offer glimpses of the body beneath. Designers associated with slip dresses include John Galliano, whose debut design for Dior was a lace-trimmed slip dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1996; Calvin Klein and Narciso Rodriguez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Wintour Costume Center</span> Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, housing The Costume Institute

The Anna Wintour Costume Center is a wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's main building in Manhattan that houses the collection of the Costume Institute, a branch of the museum focused on fashion and costume design. The center is named after Anna Wintour, the longtime and current editor-in-chief of Vogue, Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast, and chair of the museum's annual Met Gala since 1995. It was endowed by Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch. As of August 2017, the chief curator is Andrew Bolton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aymeline Valade</span> French model and actress (born 1984)

Aymeline Valade is a French supermodel and actress.

Andrew John Bolton is a British museum curator and current head curator of the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Vaccarello</span> Belgian-Italian fashion designer (born 1982)

Anthony Vaccarello is an Belgian-Italian fashion designer. He is the current creative director of Yves Saint Laurent. Prior to this position, he was creative director at Versus Versace. He has also designed his own eponymous line.

Harold Koda is an American fashion scholar, curator, and the former curator-in-chief of the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

JW Anderson is a UK fashion label, founded by Jonathan Anderson. Anderson originally from Magherafelt in Northern Ireland established JW Anderson in 2008 and subsequently launched his fashion house in London. The brand initially focused on menswear, before moving into womenswear in 2010. From 2012 onwards, the brand and its designer have collaborated with a number of retail fashion brands, most notably Topshop, Versace, and Uniqlo, with LVMH acquiring a minority stake in the brand in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mica Argañaraz</span> Argentine model and artist

Micaela "Mica" Argañaraz is an Argentine model and artist. She is best known for being a Chanel and a Versace muse, having been referred to as an it girl and "fashion force to be reckoned with". She is currently ranked as an "Industry Icon" by models.com.

Victoire Doutreleau is a French former model, who worked extensively for Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent.

<i>Camp: Notes on Fashion</i> Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Camp: Notes on Fashion was the 2019 high fashion art exhibition of the Anna Wintour Costume Center, a wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York that houses the collection of the Costume Institute.

Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination was the 2018 high fashion art exhibition of the Anna Wintour Costume Center, a wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) which houses the collection of the Costume Institute.

References

  1. ↑ "The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion". The Met.
  2. 1 2 Smee, Sebastian (9 July 2009). "The faces of fashion". Boston.com. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  3. ↑ Atkins, Lissa (11 May 2009). "Models are snapshot of style, society in Met show" . Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  4. ↑ "Dovima with the Elephants - evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, August 1955 | Avedon, Richard | V&A Search the Collections". V and A Collections. 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  5. ↑ "Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Explores Role of Fashion Models as Muses of Recent Eras". The Met. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  6. ↑ Horyn, Cathy (2009-05-05). "At the Metropolitan Museum, More Than Just Pretty Faces". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  7. ↑ "The Model as Muse: Costume Institute Gala 2009 - Telegraph". fashion.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  8. ↑ "The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion".
  9. ↑ Turner, Nancy (July 2009). "Review of The Model as Muse". Library Journal: 95.
  10. ↑ "Beauty Rendered. The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion". Studio International - Visual Arts, Design and Architecture. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  11. ↑ "Models as muses at the Met". amsterdamnews.com. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.