nunu

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute.
“Blog.Mode: Addressing Fashion” thru April 13.

Head Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, Harold Koda was quoted as saying “….fashion is so familiar, so ubiquitous to our experience that it is inherently and immediately accessible”.
With this in mind The Costume Institute has launched an exhibition to “spark dialogue”, inviting viewers to verbalize thoughts via the blogosphere.

Of course when entering into such a world, one still recoils in horror upon hearing “OMG that is soooo weird ewww” regarding an exquisite amber-wood corset by Hussein Chalayan that i personally would wear with glee then place as a sculpture upon the mantle.
But then, this concept may not be about the exhibited individual pieces [including a breathtaking Olivier Theyskens grey, twisted wing gown or a 1940's Dior dress resembling a chic tulip succubus] per se.
The basement of The Costume Institute in fact became for me the microcosm of the macrocosm.
The point is that this kind of exhibit can now exist in The Met. It is in itself a form of dialogue about society and culture.
It is a commentary on the culture of blogging, where anyone can create a world through the dialogue of thoughts and critique, but it is ultimately based on personal taste.
Through democratic technology and the current [non-democratic] economic structure of the fashion industry, the floodgates are open and you no longer have to be an “insider” to voice an opinion.
Should “just anyone” be able to critique Rei Kawakubo?
Sure, it’s open to discussion, it’s freedom of speech- to prevent this dialogue leads to a fascist fashion society.
Ultimately it is up to the viewer or reader to be a skillful editor and to maintain confidence in their personal tastes. Unmarred, despite the outside forces of fashionable economic, social or cultural trends.
At the end of the day do i respect the opinion of the loud gum-chewing ugg boot clad gaggles giving me and Miguel Androver’s mattress ticking the hairy eyeball?
Not really.
Am i surprised to see the bland, misspelled commentary they left on the museum’s blog?
No, not really. But i wasn’t relying on them to enrich my aesthetic well-being anyway.
However, the fluidity of a mushroom-pleated silk and natural horsehair Helmut Lang gown is vital in my quest for a spectacular visual reality.