MoMa's First Fashion Exhibition In 73 Years
July 20, 2017 12:44 PM   Subscribe

Items: Is Fashion Modern? the first show the Museum of Modern Art has devoted to the subject since Bernard Rudofsky’s seminal exhibition “Are Clothes Modern?” in 1944, takes up the multiplicity of questions provoked by a design field that, despite playing an integral part in all of our lives, continues to defy easy comprehension. via
posted by infini (6 comments total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
seems like a pretty basic question to be querying fashion with?
posted by Annika Cicada at 2:12 PM on July 20, 2017




Is fashion modern? What are clothes? WHY ARE PANTS?
posted by louche mustachio at 3:37 PM on July 20, 2017 [1 favorite]


In seriousness, this does sound interesting to me. I think that clothes, more than just covering our bodies in particular ways, are a complex form of communication; they are capable of conveying a great deal about the wearer in a very short time.

I was thinking of that as I scrolled through the items in the "provoked" link, choosing things I would definitely want either for every day (Dr. Martens are where my feet live) or for something special (Commes desGarçon, Dutch Wax.) It was like rummaging through a closet and choosing what I would want to say, and to whom.


Even though what it would mostly say is "here is a woman who needs to clean out her closet."
posted by louche mustachio at 3:55 PM on July 20, 2017 [1 favorite]


seems like a pretty basic question to be querying fashion with?

I think a more basic query would be "Why the hell can't they give women's clothing pockets?"
posted by happyroach at 9:11 PM on July 20, 2017 [1 favorite]


This is troubling me, probably because I know way more about the topic than is good for me, but here goes.

Firstly, the premise of the exhibition isn't suitably addressed in the content. I'm not sure what they're trying to say about modernity in general or sartorial culture in particular, because that list betrays a somewhat superficial understanding of the intersection between functionality, cultural signage and adornment.

Secondly, and this really sticks in my craw, the non-Western forms seem to have been chosen specifically for their otherness rather than their ubiquity. If you're going to show Breton shirts and Aran sweaters, you should show anoraks and parkas as well. And why would you show cheongsams and saris if you're not also showing kimonos and ponchos?
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 3:16 AM on July 22, 2017 [2 favorites]


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