The piece of garment I chose was Comme des Garçons cape that was featured in Fairy Tale Fashion (2016) from the “Exhibitionism: 50 Years of The Museum at FIT” show. The show is the 50th anniversary celebration of “the fashion insider’s fashion museum”, it was curated with iconic show pieces from the “33 most influential” fashion exhibitions since the first one that was opened to the public in 1971. This particular garment was included in the exhibition “Fairy tale Fashion” staged in 2016, which was curated taking inspirations from classic fairy tales such as the “Little red Riding Hood”, presumably represented with the Comma des Garçons cape which I have chosen.
In my opinion, exhibitions are curations that contextualizes artworks. In the case of fashion exhibitions, putting together works of different designers with a common theme, whether it be derived from visual elements or context behind curation, it has given the piece a whole new narrative. And in this particular exhibition of “Fairy tale Fashion”, it presented the very quality of fashion imitating life, taking inspirations from folk tales that contains historical and cultural significance, reflecting also such qualities on the garments being created after the inspirations that was taken. It also amplifies the important role fashion have always played on the topic of identity. Using garments as “costume” for a story, strengthens the characterization of different identities, presenting personalities created from these stories vividly with the wearer.
