NEWBLOG - Torstaina, 18.06.2015 klo 17:56
The exhibit — the brainchild of Sonnet Stanfill, the V&A's curator of 20th century and contemporary fashion — traces the rise of the Italian fashion industry from post-World War II to present day. In addition to showcasing enough eye candy to make even the less sartorially inclined salivate, Italian Style details the threads tying the U.S. to Italy over the postwar decades, from the economic investment of the Marshall Plan to the contemporary luxury brands that dominate the pages of American fashion magazines.
The luxurious garments presented at the original 1950s Sala Bianca catwalk shows in Florence — beautifully displayed on floor-to-ceiling photographs covering the gallery walls, framing glass cases filled with opulent gowns — were far too expensive for most consumers in economically devastated post-Mussolini Italy, but they drew the interest of American magazines, retail stores, even movie producers. Films such as Fellini's scandalous international sensation La Dolce Vita (screening 7 p.m. Friday at the Frist on 35mm) propagated the enviable Italian style, as did the many Hollywood icons — Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner — who donned Italian clothing on and off the set (luxury wear aside, the sprezzatura, or "graceful nonchalance" of casual Italian wear is still replicated around the globe today). This section of the exhibit is enhanced with film clips, often next to the very garment shown onscreen, alongside another iconic figure of Italian style: a 1949 mint-green Vespa recalling the era's carefree spirit.
The exhibit also details the rise of ready-to-wear fashion, which in many ways eclipsed couture in the 1970s and 1980s when designers such as Armani and Missoni mass-produced luxurious clothing that didn't require laborious handiwork. The exhibit details how different regions of the country became known for their expertise in the many facets of textile and garment production, creating a geographic network of mills, workshops and factories that made Milan the fashion capital of Italy.
With more than 90 garments and accessories on display, the collection includes decadent jewelry, handsome leather goods and impeccable knitwear popularized by the aforementioned Missoni and mass-market retailer Benetton. The breathtaking "grand finale" gallery showcases the most recent decade with a glorious display of women's and men's clothing from the likes of Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci.
It's worth noting that Nashville has hosted two major fashion-focused exhibits at the Frist in the past five years, reflecting the city's heightened interest in a subject that rarely receives the same attention as other forms of creative expression. Additionally, this marks the third collaboration with the V&A Museum.
"I think that, increasingly, museums around the world are seeing fashion as not just this separate thing, but also an expression of the decorative arts," Stanfill tells the Scene. "And so for a museum like the Frist to have hosted an exhibition of cars [2013's Sensuous Steel: Art Deco Automobiles], it's not that far of a jump to think of fashion as another element of the decorative arts. And in this amazing and beautiful building with its own art deco tradition — which was a period of time when all of the arts seemed to have a kind of unified aesthetic, whether it was fashion or furniture or tabletop pieces — that seems a very fitting kind of commentary."
As Nashville looms as a player in reshoring the domestic apparel production industry (see "A Stitch in Time," April 2), this romp through 20th and 21st century Italian fashion history is especially timely. In recent years, the Nashville fashion community has taken a more strategic approach to developing the industry into an economic force. The Nashville Fashion Alliance — which recently exceeded its $100,000 crowdfunding goal — has partnered with Smithville-based Omega Apparel to develop a factory in Nashville that will focus on small runs of garments made by a skilled workforce trained through Catholic Charities. Such a service is an integral step in launching a brand.
"When designers are first starting out, they require small runs, because they do not have the orders to justify going to, say, Italy, because the Italian factories require large runs," Stanfill says. "For emerging designers who don't have the scale to produce overseas — and also as part of the learning process of starting your own label — you need to know how to work with the factory to specify what you're after. Having someone close by can be very helpful in that learning process, to develop a relationship with someone who will do those small runs, and act more nimbly than a big manufacturing plant overseas."
But this exhibit is not solely for those who harbor dreams of fashion design, or who can distinguish Versace from Valentino. Like The Golden Age of Couture, Italian Style will appeal to anyone who appreciates the virtue of hand craft, and how external forces — war, politics, popular culture — influence art. The Italian craftsmanship is truly a thing of beauty, and the exhibit allows for close inspection of items, whether they're dazzling evening gowns or well-constructed jackets. In the digital age, fast fashion — driven by rapidly changing trends — may be the norm. But as this exhibit shows, a timeless, impeccably made garment is still the most stylish thing anyone could dream to own.
http://www.queenieaustralia.com/semi-formal-dresses | http://www.queenieaustralia.com/homepage
The Frist's dazzling new exhibit shows how the 'graceful nonchalance' of Italian fashion designers c
Five years ago, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts hosted the only U.S. presentation of the Victoria and Albert Museum's superb The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947–1957, which chronicled a celebrated era of fashion marked by the debut of Christian Dior's groundbreaking "new look" and a subsequent burst of creativity and craftsmanship from designers such as Balenciaga, Balmain and Givenchy. This summer, fashion will once again be the focus in the Frist's Ingram Gallery with another V&A stunner, Italian Style: Fashion Since 1945.The exhibit — the brainchild of Sonnet Stanfill, the V&A's curator of 20th century and contemporary fashion — traces the rise of the Italian fashion industry from post-World War II to present day. In addition to showcasing enough eye candy to make even the less sartorially inclined salivate, Italian Style details the threads tying the U.S. to Italy over the postwar decades, from the economic investment of the Marshall Plan to the contemporary luxury brands that dominate the pages of American fashion magazines.
The luxurious garments presented at the original 1950s Sala Bianca catwalk shows in Florence — beautifully displayed on floor-to-ceiling photographs covering the gallery walls, framing glass cases filled with opulent gowns — were far too expensive for most consumers in economically devastated post-Mussolini Italy, but they drew the interest of American magazines, retail stores, even movie producers. Films such as Fellini's scandalous international sensation La Dolce Vita (screening 7 p.m. Friday at the Frist on 35mm) propagated the enviable Italian style, as did the many Hollywood icons — Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner — who donned Italian clothing on and off the set (luxury wear aside, the sprezzatura, or "graceful nonchalance" of casual Italian wear is still replicated around the globe today). This section of the exhibit is enhanced with film clips, often next to the very garment shown onscreen, alongside another iconic figure of Italian style: a 1949 mint-green Vespa recalling the era's carefree spirit.
The exhibit also details the rise of ready-to-wear fashion, which in many ways eclipsed couture in the 1970s and 1980s when designers such as Armani and Missoni mass-produced luxurious clothing that didn't require laborious handiwork. The exhibit details how different regions of the country became known for their expertise in the many facets of textile and garment production, creating a geographic network of mills, workshops and factories that made Milan the fashion capital of Italy.
With more than 90 garments and accessories on display, the collection includes decadent jewelry, handsome leather goods and impeccable knitwear popularized by the aforementioned Missoni and mass-market retailer Benetton. The breathtaking "grand finale" gallery showcases the most recent decade with a glorious display of women's and men's clothing from the likes of Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci.
It's worth noting that Nashville has hosted two major fashion-focused exhibits at the Frist in the past five years, reflecting the city's heightened interest in a subject that rarely receives the same attention as other forms of creative expression. Additionally, this marks the third collaboration with the V&A Museum.
"I think that, increasingly, museums around the world are seeing fashion as not just this separate thing, but also an expression of the decorative arts," Stanfill tells the Scene. "And so for a museum like the Frist to have hosted an exhibition of cars [2013's Sensuous Steel: Art Deco Automobiles], it's not that far of a jump to think of fashion as another element of the decorative arts. And in this amazing and beautiful building with its own art deco tradition — which was a period of time when all of the arts seemed to have a kind of unified aesthetic, whether it was fashion or furniture or tabletop pieces — that seems a very fitting kind of commentary."
As Nashville looms as a player in reshoring the domestic apparel production industry (see "A Stitch in Time," April 2), this romp through 20th and 21st century Italian fashion history is especially timely. In recent years, the Nashville fashion community has taken a more strategic approach to developing the industry into an economic force. The Nashville Fashion Alliance — which recently exceeded its $100,000 crowdfunding goal — has partnered with Smithville-based Omega Apparel to develop a factory in Nashville that will focus on small runs of garments made by a skilled workforce trained through Catholic Charities. Such a service is an integral step in launching a brand.
"When designers are first starting out, they require small runs, because they do not have the orders to justify going to, say, Italy, because the Italian factories require large runs," Stanfill says. "For emerging designers who don't have the scale to produce overseas — and also as part of the learning process of starting your own label — you need to know how to work with the factory to specify what you're after. Having someone close by can be very helpful in that learning process, to develop a relationship with someone who will do those small runs, and act more nimbly than a big manufacturing plant overseas."
But this exhibit is not solely for those who harbor dreams of fashion design, or who can distinguish Versace from Valentino. Like The Golden Age of Couture, Italian Style will appeal to anyone who appreciates the virtue of hand craft, and how external forces — war, politics, popular culture — influence art. The Italian craftsmanship is truly a thing of beauty, and the exhibit allows for close inspection of items, whether they're dazzling evening gowns or well-constructed jackets. In the digital age, fast fashion — driven by rapidly changing trends — may be the norm. But as this exhibit shows, a timeless, impeccably made garment is still the most stylish thing anyone could dream to own.
http://www.queenieaustralia.com/semi-formal-dresses | http://www.queenieaustralia.com/homepage
