Philadelphia Museum of Art's Fabulous Fashion: From Dior's New Look to Now

Theme trumps time

Drawn from PMA’s exceptionally rich costume and textile holdings, Fabulous Fashion holds interest for couturiers and off-the-rack shoppers alike. Rather than sticking to a decade-by-decade presentation, associate curator Kristina Haugland grouped themed selections from the collection (which has more than 30,000 items). The arrangement highlights relationships among pieces from different periods and invites comparisons that transcend time.

Haugland works from the assumption that fashion is art, focusing on how designers use shape and volume, color and pattern, metallic materials, decorative embellishment, and the perennial favorite combination, black and white.

That last grouping makes neighbors of a 1972 ivory Chanel suit trimmed in black and a 2011 Bernhard Willhelm ensemble with skull-and-crossbones jacket closures and skeleton tights. The mannequins are close enough to look as though they’re attending the same party.

Taking up space, beautifully

The exhibit opens with shape and volume, illustrated by an award ceremony’s worth of splendid evening gowns. Winged Victory (1947), Adrian’s dark red off-the-shoulder creation, is here, trailing velvet clouds from the scapulars. Nearby, an obvious descendant, circa 1981: Pierre Cardin’s black velvet column gown with pointier, equally exuberant shoulders.

Designers aren’t much for titles, so lots of garments are labeled “dress” or “hat.” Among the exceptions is Fumo (Smoke) Evening Dress (1985), Roberto Capucci‘s silk gown with a form-fitting black bodice that descends into billowing tiers of white, gray, and black. The wearer appears to be rising from a recently extinguished campfire.

Charles James’s Dinner Suit (1955) is nicknamed “Pagoda” for its exquisitely hand-tailored silhouette, shown here in red silk overlaid with gold figuring. Haugland notes that James, a self-taught perfectionist, spent four years on the design and its meticulous seams. He considered the suit his masterpiece.

The column dress Issey Miyake created in 1994 looks like a stack of brightly colored paper lanterns, or even a supersized roll of fruity Life Savers. But neither of these impressions are reflected in its name: Woman’s Flying Saucer Dress.

In the metallics section, a dress of silver and plastic disks designed by Paco Rabanne in 1966 represents a group of garments with perhaps the best museum category name ever: “Twelve Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials.” Who hasn’t had at least one of those in her closet?

Artful accessorizing

Fabulous Fashion isn’t all dresses and catsuits. There are shoes, handbags, and a bouquet of hats, including Hubert de Givenchy’s Wave Hat (1988), which resembles a hot pink tortilla chip; Lilly Daché’s delicate black saucer of egret feathers (1955); and Pierre Cardin’s cloche (1968), which is just the color and shape of caps worn by the Smurfs.

Any fashion show worth its orange blossoms ends with wedding attire, and Fabulous Fashion obliges. Though the collection’s most famous bridal gown, worn by Grace Kelly at her 1956 nuptials to Prince Rainier of Monaco, is not displayed, her accessories are, including a headpiece of rose point lace and seed pearls, bridal manual, and shoes.

Something for every taste

Fabulous Fashion is thoughtfully presented. Every garment, after all, reflects design, tailoring, taste, and the period and culture in which it is worn. Whether you view the exhibit as artist, anthropologist, historian, or someone who stands perplexed at the closet wondering what to wear, the exhibit offers a chance to become acquainted with a collection that is as much a part of PMA’s foundation as the landmark building being tailored for the next century.