For the first time in many years, MoMA is now exhibiting another fashion show. This show circulates this particular question: Is Fashion Modern? It explores fashion items of the past & the present & the impacts these items have had or will have affected the perception of fashion now & possibly of the future. I visited the exhibition last Friday, and I can honestly respond this show was very compelling both visually & mindfully.
What struck out to me was how I was actually able to identify some of the objects in the exhibit itself — only that they were ‘older’, ‘outdated’ versions of the garments we wear now, such as the pair of 1950 Converses All Stars. When I encountered the All Stars, my first reaction was “Oh wait. I know these.. But wow, these are the vintage Converses, huh”. I don’t know why, but I was amazed by the presence of this old, worn out pair of kicks. Perhaps it’s because I wear them for personal fashion & knowing the small difference of the design before to now, I guess it personally sparked something in me. What also caught my attention were how spunky some of these fashion items were.
What I didn’t like however was how some items were overshadowed by the others; the placement of how some of the objects were curated sort of invisible unless if you take a second look at it. An example was this concealer(?) [It was placed on the wall next to Robin from Skin Series] I almost didn’t notice it until I reread the tombstone information and realized that there was an extra object there. This small item from cosmetic industry was overshadowed by these big, powerful garments (which also didn’t belong there) so of course, it would be easy to miss it.
Nonetheless, the exhibition was fascinating but could have been improved. I don’t exactly know how or what could exactly change but it was in terms kind of disappointing in one aspect of what should be a ‘great’ exhibit. Otherwise, it’s worth going to it if you’re interested in fashion.
Here are some of the photos I’ve took + the sketches I’ve done while I was there:
