Anglomania
In case you didn't know I'm obsessed with Englishness, American-ness and the notion of a constructed selfhood on either side of the Atlantic. So of course I was in heaven when I visited (twice) the Anglomania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion exhibit in the Metropolitican Museum of Art in NYC. The exhibit features the fashion designs of John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Hussein Chalayan, designers who reference traditional English motifs (i.e. Victorian fashions, Elizabeth I's dresses) in modern, "transgressive" clothing.
I'm not sure how much input the designers had in this exhibition; they may very well have simply handed over the garments and then later shown up at the opening to claim credit. I make a point of this because, particularly with John Galliano's flowy gowns, I don't think I would have recognized the designs' "transgressive" qualities if I saw models wearing them down the catwalk. On their own, I would have thought Galliano's references to be merely witty; the exhibit placards, the positioning of the installation, and the surrounding props were often necessary to make the point. I guess the question is then whether the exhibit's observations on nationalist themes originate with the people who made the clothes or with others who have given the garments a scholarly once-over.
Vivienne Westwood has gone on record describing her work as edgy, and to be sure, Westwood's fashions are more recognizably transgressive, but I had a hard time swallowing the exhibit's attempt to connect dandyism (which the exhibit inexplicably describes as "austere") with her punk fashions. The similarity is not visually apparent and the placard merely says that they are both moments of "sartorial rebellion," occurring in reaction to the then-present mode of dress. But isn't everything a reaction to what came before it? Westwood's husband Malcolm McLaren once managed the Sex Pistols, and interestingly, the gift shop outside the exhibit was selling Johnny Rotten's memoir Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs. In it, Rotten accuses Westwood of making clothes according to his specifications, charging him full price, and then mass-producing the garments without giving him creative credit or any of the profits. The book was published in the mid-nineties, and it seems Viv has come around on this one, since Rotten's shares credit on at least one design in the exhibit. With such revisions, the origin and meaning of punk remains elusive (and don't we like it better that way?).
For all these curiosities, I was delighted to see that someone (meaning the someone responsible for the exhibit) was thinking about English nationalism, and that I didn't have to go to the UK to find out about it. My favorite installation was "The Deathbead," which featured a black mourning dress worn by Queen Victoria (natch), a black McQueen dress with a "Spine Corset" made out of aluminum, and two other black McQueen outfits. The spine dress somehow looked sexual, maybe even sexy in macabre way (don't judge me people), and the whole arrangement stressed a connection between sexual and morbid fixations that makes sense when one thinks about the Victorian period, but never occurred to me before (maybe 'cuz I'm not a Victorianist).
If you're interested in English stuff and/or pretty clothes, I suggest you pop in to see this exhibit if you're in NYC in the coming week. The exhibit ends Sept. 5, so get a move on! And tell me if I'm completely full of it or not.
UPDATE: On his website Rotten says that he donated the jacket he designed to show who started the trend. He still doesn't sound too keen on Westwood. Also, listen to his hilarious podcast on the exhibit.
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posted by Amanda @ 2:54 PM
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