ASHLYEE HICKMAN
A&E Assistant
If fashion had not evolved we might still be confined to the age of petticoats and top hats or maybe sweating while wearing spandex and stirrup pants under the Malibu sun. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art explores this evolution of fashion and design in its new exhibit “Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection.”
Until Jan. 7, the LACMA will be displaying various models of contemporary fashion design. With more than 100 pieces, “Breaking the Mode” lives up to its title.
The collection features the works of fashion rebels who defied the previous conventions of clothing to bring on a new horizon of design.
They are designers who, according to the Web site, “found traditional criteria and solutions obsolete.”
The collection features approximately 50 international designers and includes innovative creations from designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, James Galanos, Vivienne Westwood, Franco Moschino and Christian Dior.
The fashion industry’s take on the body’s silhouette has changed dramatically within the past 25 years and “Breaking the Mode” chronicles this fashion evolution.
The exhibit also showcases the new generation of fashion and explores the progress made in fabric, textile or technology.
“I’m extremely interested in certain shapes and patterns, basically the geometry of fashion. So most likely I‘d be interested in seeing it,” said freshman Elyse Burden.
In different eras, garments were created simply so that the body would fit in them, using structured fabrics such as wool and cotton.
Now with the incorporation of synthetic fibers, garments — such as the ones featured in the exhibit — are made to adjust to the contours of the body.
The exhibit treats fashion as art and interprets it from a historical or cultural standpoint. For example, certain works are introduced by designers such as Christopher Bailey of Burberry and Martin Margiela, who both cite the fashion of World War I as an inspiration.
“Breaking the Mode” is a product of LACMA’s Costume Council along with additional support from Neiman Marcus.
Two curators lead the exhibit: Sharon S. Takeda and Kaye D. Spilker.
Takeda works at LACMA as both the department head and the senior curator of the Costume and Textiles Department.
Spilker has been involved with other exhibits including “A Century of Fashion, 1900-2000.”
LACMA features more than 100,000 works of art making it the largest encyclopedic museum in the western part of the United States.
“It’s really a landmark in Southern California. As a resource it is unbelievable,” said Joseph Piasentin, professor of art in the Fine Arts Division.
The museum is just as notorious for its diversity as the city of Los Angeles, “The art featured ranges from art of antiquity to the most contemporary,” said Professor Piasentin.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art features various pieces of Islamic, European, contemporary and Korean art.
Another aspect of the museum is its effective conservation of the artwork displayed.
“LACMA’s conservation techniques bring such a recognition to Southern California to the extent where museums from around the world refer to the Getty Center and LACMA,” Piasentin said.
The museum also has a research library that is open to the public with an appointment.
In the near future LACMA will undergo a major transformation as a result of a unanimous vote conducted by the Board of Trustees in 2004.
The new and improved museum will include additional buildings and a re-faced exterior. World-renowned architect Renzo Piano will oversee the development.
09-21-2006
