So Sorry- So Sold Out!
It is the first day of fashion week, my birthday, February 11th, and I make it to the Brooklyn Museum by 10 am thinking I’ll be too early to wait for tickets to the sold-out Christian Dior, Designer of Dreams exhibit; to my dismay, there is already a line of twenty people waiting. Soon enough, that line seems to stretch to the end of the block. There are the fashionistas, who at first glance appear rather cheap and tacky, but upon further inspection are wearing top designer everything and walking to the front of the line inquiring about why they must join the queue; then there are the basic bitches who seemingly can’t appreciate what they’re trying to cut corners to enjoy.
The Brooklyn Museum’s Dior Fashion Exhibition
This fashion exhibition is impressive in its scale and breadth, with halls of dresses and gowns towering up to the ceiling- impossible to see but making quite the impact, or Dior-clad mannequins circumscribing an expansive hall with garments cascading up above head. For me, the most awe-inspiring aspect of this curation is the inclusion of croquis complete with swatches still pinned to them dating back 70 years or more! The sketches by Gianfranco Ferré are absolutely breathtaking to behold, created in confident fluid strokes, one. With the use of glitter. It’s hard to believe one is standing before garments and fabrics from the fifties and truly a part of fashion history, given Dior’s New Look returned women to corsets following Chanel having freed them from the cumbersome undergarments and the bustle following the turn of the century, and inspired the use of excessive yardage of fabrics following WWII rationing, as a means of stimulating the economy but also returning women to a glamorous aesthetic and full silhouette following the war and menswear-inspired forties.
As others glance and comment on whether a garment is something they’d wear, unaware of the context or historical impact of what they were looking at, I take my time, photographing and recording each garment as I pass through the galleries, scrutinizing the embroidery; beading; sequins, paillettes, and spangles; and appliqués for their ornate and intricate construction, witnessing the microcosmic details that make up the big picture of the garment and collection it’s a part of.
My only complaint with the exhibit is the use of so much glass which really obstructed the view of some displays, particularly the sort of color-coded collage of accessories, it is nearly impossible to capture.
See my previous post on the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Exhibition featuring Dior’s looks as well, Fabulous Fashion: Dior’s New Look To Now Exhibit, and comment below with your thoughts of this exhibit.
