Imagine sitting and watching runway show after runway show and reading every magazine under the sun just to try and piece together what will be the next “trend” a year from now. Deciphering between what’s “in” and what’s “out” can be a confusing and exhausting task, but have no fear, the fashion world is undergoing a major reality check. For decades, we have been hypnotized to believe we have to keep up with the rapidly changing styles the fashion world shoves down our throats, but now that everything you think could possibly be done has been done and regurgitated time and time again, it’s time for a reboot. Fashion as a sculptural art form has emerged, proving that the world of high-fashion is transforming into an individualistic means of expression rather than a continuous cycle of trends existing within a commercial industry.
To begin to truly understand this progressive world, we need to answer the most basic questions: What is fashion, and what makes something “sculptural” fashion?
Fashion means something different for each of us, but the one thing everyone should at least acknowledge is that it’s a way of expression. Many argue that fashion is not an art form, but there is a distinct line that can be drawn between clothing and fashion that is commonly misunderstood because of how easily identifiable the craft is. Clothes are designed with the intent to sell, while fashion is created with the intent to provoke emotional reaction. Fashion is wearable art in the form of architecture formed to the body, and this revamped concept is being taken to a whole new level with work that is pushing creative boundaries. The sculptural pieces are strikingly innovative in construction and use of materials, they shy away from any norms and most of all generate reactions based off emotions.
Many designers have come and gone, toying around with the idea of creating avante garde, out of the box pieces, but none have even come close to the success of Alexander McQueen. He believed, “people don’t want to see clothes, they want to see something that fuels the imagination,” and in 2009 he designed the ultimate apocalyptic-fantasy collection with stunning craftsmanship, a strong emotional message and a huge hint of mockery.
In the fall collection, the stage set the mood of the show with a giant heap of “trash” in the center, and with a closer look, tires, old cages and other props McQueen had used in previous shows had been recycled to make up this monstrosity. The mound dominated the runway and had an eerie and dark feeling, and after the models emerged, the setting fit the tone to a T.
The first models came out wearing silhouettes similar to designers Givenchy and Chanel, and they soon became parodies when McQueen added his own personal flare in the form of overly exaggerated shoulder pads and hips, creating a “Yeah, I can do what you do, and I can do it better” feeling. This mockery also became apparent with the bright-red clown lips the models were sporting. They screamed, “I don’t take myself too seriously, and I don’t care what you think.” The humor added to the individualism he was trying to illustrate, but it was subtle enough that anyone on the outside world may not have caught it.
Continuing on into the show were pieces that began to shy away from the typical “fashion.” They were thrilling, tactile, hard, and even ugly to the eye at first, but McQueen’s use of couture craftsmanship progressed his work into an array of original works of art. In one of the final pieces, the most breath taking of them all, the model emerged wearing a long mermaid style evening dress made of trash bag simulated fabric and a jacket representing bubble wrap. The dress was dramatic, dark, voluminous and over whelming, making the model seem to be an apocalyptic god of the future. Aggressive and tactile, the showmanship was ugly in an engaging way. You can’t keep your eyes off of her, and you begin to ask yourself how a trash bag can be so beautiful. The model disappears and all focus is solely on the form, exactly what a piece of sculptural fashion should do.
However, behind the fascinating pieces of work is an even more powerful message that proves McQueen is a legacy in the making. The trash, the clown lips, and the designs all help portray the anger and frustration he had with the constant “recycling” of trends within the industry. The ruins in the middle of the stage became a metaphor for the fashion world as he saw it. No real individuality was separating designer from designer, and by acknowledging this he gave a big middle finger to the fashion world declaring that he would continue to create whatever he wanted, regardless of what was accepted at the time. He stated, “There are designers that I admire, but I don’t look up to them. I don’t really look at what everyone else is doing, that’s a studio mentality. There comes a time when you focus solely on what you believe is right, regardless of what everyone else is doing.”
McQueen broke all barriers between the art and fashion worlds with this collection, making him a fashion genius and the leader of the individualist movement inspiring other artists to come forward with their own personal styles. His pieces were emotionally charged and thought provoking, leaving the interpretation up to the imagination of the viewer and with his aesthetic and technique there is no way these creations are to be considered “clothing.” They are sculpture, and they are art.
