Exhibit Review

Paris Refashioned

The exhibit is on the lower floor Special Exhibitions Gallery in FIT Museum divided into two parts. The collections that are located inside the room are much more organized than the ones in the hall. The exhibit started from February 10 and will end on April 15. Our class visited the exhibit on Feb. 15th. All the collections are from the late 50s and 60s’ Paris.

The purpose of this exhibit is to ask for more focus on Paris during the innovational time period (1957-1968) while people usually pay more attention to London(1).

The theme of this exhibit is about the time period that there were some changes in Paris fashion houses. At that time, teenagers are the majority, so that a revolution is unavoidable. By just looking at the clothes and the accessories displayed in the hall, I didn’t get the theme of this area.

In the main gallery, the arrangement is clearer. From Chanel’s iconic woman’s suits to Saint Lauren’s color blocks, garments are divided into sections to show that how designers were trying to put in creativities to serve the younger audience.

Saint Lauren’s color block

Saint Lauren’s dress on the right

Yves Saint Lauren was definitely a designer that linked with innovation at that time. He was 21 years old when he became the head designer of Dior. In his fall 1959 collection, his designs with the unexpected short hemline lead fashion field into a new era(2). It’s not exaggerated to say that he saved Dior and helped this historical brand to keep its status on the stage.

Woman’s suits by different designers

Even Chanel was in this huge group. They are still the original woman’s suits, but you can definitely see that the designer was trying to add new element with time passed.

After viewing the gallery, I had a clearer understanding of the collections in the hall. It’s like an epitome of the whole exhibit that allows you to have a sample taste of Chef’s new menu. Moreover, in this hall, there are not only garments. Art can be perceived through multiple methods. To refresh the audience’s sense, there were several movie experts that were selected to show the influence and spread of French fashion during this period of time. It is a really clever choice for people who may be a little bit overwhelmed by receiving such huge amount of designs at once. The costumes of contemporary movies usually contain the zeitgeist that can be directly observed and easily remembered by the audience.

(For example, my goddess Audrey Hepburn!)

Audrey Hepburn’s friendship with Givenchy is so famous. Givenchy’s design made Hepburn better known. At the same time, Audrey Hepburn expressed Givenchy’s designs perfectly(3).

 

Overall, this is an beneficial exhibit as it thoroughly concludes French role in fashion in this specific decade. And have rich collections through multiple media.

 

End Notes

1.”Paris Refashioned, 1957-1968.” Paris Refashioned, 1957-1968, Accessed February 23, 2017. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/exhibitions/paris-refashioned.php.

2. Ibid

3. De La Hoz, Cindy. Audrey and Givenchy : A Fashion Love Affair. New York, NY, US: Running Press, 2016. Accessed February 22, 2017. ProQuest ebrary.

Bibliography

De La Hoz, Cindy. Audrey and Givenchy : A Fashion Love Affair. New York, NY, US: Running Press, 2016. Accessed.      February 22, 2017. ProQuest ebrary.

“Paris Refashioned, 1957-1968.” Paris Refashioned, 1957-1968 | Fashion Institute of Technology. Accessed February 23, 2017. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/exhibitions/paris-refashioned.php.

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