Tag Archive | Fashion

Eye On Design: Thierry Mugler, Madonna Evening Ensemble

May23

Thierry Mugler Madonna Evening Ensemble
All Photos By Gail

This ensemble by Thierry Mugler, entitled Madonna, served as the finale to his tenth-anniversary collection, which was staged at Le Zenith, and indoor in Paris. The model Pat Cleveland wore it as she was lowered from the ceiling of the auditorium in a cloud of dry ice, as if descending from heaven.

Madonna Evening Ensemble Installation View

Its placement this area —  a museum passage archway  — emphasizes links to ascension, and particularly the dogma of the Assumption of Mary, which asserts that her body and soul were assumed into heaven’s glory as her life’s end.

Thierry Mugler Madonna Evening Ensemble

The color of the dress refers to another dogma: the Immaculate Conception, or the belief that the Virgin Mary was born free from the stain of original sin. In artistic representations, (especially after 1854, when Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma), she often wears a white tunic with a blue mantle.

Photographed as Part of the Exhibit, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, On View Through October 8th, 2018 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (at both the Fifth Avenue and Cloisters Locations) in NYC.

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Eye On Design: Obi Kimono Style Wrap Dress By Norman Norell

May9

Kimono Style Wrap Dress
Photos By Gail

Unlike many 20th-century fashion designers, Norman Norell rarely sought inspiration from non-western or exotic cultures. Norell’s Obi dresses (circa 1965) were a rare exception. Named after the wide belt used to secure and ornament a Japanese Kimono, the wrap-wtyle Obi Dresses were constructed with a built-in panel of fabric that encased the upper torso using a hook and eye closure.This interior garment allowed the outer wrap layer to glide smoothly over the body.

Kimono Style Wrap Dress

Photographed as Part of the Exhibit Norell: Dean of American Fashion, at the Museum at FIT.

Eye On Design: Gown for Leslie Jones Designed By Christian Siriano

Apr18

Christian Siriano Red Dress
All Photos By Gail

Christian Siriano designed this dress for actress Leslie Jones to wear to a film premiere. Jones had tweeted that due to her physique, no fashion designer was willing to dress her for red carpet events. Siriano responded to her, saying he would be proud to design a dress for her.

Leslie Jones In Red Dress

The result was this stunning Red Silk Crepe Faille floor-length gown that she wore to the 2016 premiere of Ghostbusters, and Jones looks fantastic in it. This situation sparked a public debate about the marginalization of certain body types by contemporary brands.

Christian Siriano Red Dress

Photographed as Part of the Exhibit The Body: Fashion and Physique, On View at the Museum at FIT Through May 5th, 2018.

Eye On Design: Norman Norell’s Mermaid Dresses

Apr4

Mermaid Dresses
All Photos By Gail

Aptly called the Mermaid, Norman Norell’s shimmering, sequin-covered evening gown is arguably his most recognizable creation. Like many designers, he was influenced by Hollywood costumes, especially those created during the Golden Age. In fact, Norell began his career working for both Brooks Costume Company and Paramount Pictures during the 1920s. It is not surprising that he was one of the most successful at incorporating silver screen glamour in his luxurious, ready-to-wear evening garments, especially his Mermaid gowns.

Silver Blue 1972 Dark Purple 1965
Silver Blue Evening Gown (1972); Dark Purple Long Sleeve Evening Dress (1965)

What made Norell’s Mermaids so successful was his ability to strike the perfect balance of physical comfort and visual impact. Most often, he made the gowns using a base of knitted silk jersey. The base was then covered with a dazzling pavé of hand-applied sequins that were dyed repeatedly to match the jersey. Each of the tiny, reflective discs was sewn on with its on unique stitch pattern, allowing the sequins to shift and move independently. The result was a garment that reflected the maximum amount of light

Forest Green Evening Dress 1972
Forest Green Evening Dress (1972)

Photographed as part of the Exhibit, Norell: Dean of American Fashion, on View Through April 14th, 2018 at the Musuem at FIT in Manhattan.

Eye On Design: Beaded Culottes Dress By Norman Norell

Mar21

Beaded Culottes Dress
Photos By Gail 

In 1960, Norman Norrell  created one of his most daring and sensational innovations, the first culotte-skirted, wool flannel day suit. Soon thereafter, he debuted the culotted evening dress. Although it took years to gain widespread popularity, Norell responded to the fact that modern women were more mobile than ever and needed clothing to match their lifestyles.

Beaded Culottes Dress
Pale Pink Beaded Culottes Dress (1961), Chiffon with Glass Beads

Because he was convinced of the culotte’s value and insisted that it be made perfectly, Norell offered to give away his pattern to other Seventh Avenue clothing companies free of charge.

Photographed as part of the Exhibit, Norell: Dean of American Fashion, on View Through April 14th, 2018 at the Musuem at FIT in Manhattan.

Eye On Design: Twiggy London Girl Dress Circa 1966

Mar14

Twiggy London Girl Dress
Photos By Gail

This Twiggy London Girl Dress (1966) was part of a product line by British teenage model Twiggy, so nicknamed due to her skinny, twig-like frame. The short, A-line construction plays on the silhouette that many designers were working with during the 1960s to free wearers from the heavily structured styles of the previous decade.

Twiggy Fashions

Twiggy came to embody the increasingly thin, youthful ideal of the ’60s and remains a key reference in debates about body image.

Photographed in the Museum at FIT in Manhattan as part of the Exhibit, The Body: Fashion and Physique, on View Through May 5th, 2018.

Yes, It Exists: David Bowie Paper Dolls!

Mar13

Paper Boy David Bowie
All Photos By Gail

The only real bummer about David Bowie Is, the Brooklyn Museum’s immersive and wildly fascinating career retrospective on the late, great rock superstar is the fact that photography is not allowed inside the galleries. Huge Bummer! Once you enter the exhibit, the rule makes sense, because crowding: but still. Fortunately, photography is fully permitted in the museum gift shop, and thank god, because that is where I found these (unofficial) David Bowie Paper Dolls! Squee!

Bowie Underpants Model
Ziggy-era Bowie in his Skivvies: Ready for some Hot Dress-Up Action!

If you’ve ever wanted to know what the Thin White Duke looked like in his underwear alone, wonder no longer!

Bowie Black Jump Suit
Tokyo Pop Vinyl Bodysuit (1973) Designed By Kansai Yamamoto for the Aladdin Sane tour

From Ziggy Stardust to Halloween Jack, Major Tom, and many other characters, David Bowie continuously reinvented himself. The stage outfits recreated in Mel’s Music Icons’ Ziggy Paperboy book highlight a selections of Bowie ’s numerous identities and are as much a tribute to Bowie as is his music! Here are just a few of the fun outfits you can dress him up in!

Bowie Blue Boa

Two Outfits

Blonde David

The book also includes a few differently-styled versions of David, to accommodate all of his ch-ch-ch-changes!

Bowie Blue Suit

Here is the famous Ice Blue Suit that David wore for the Mick Rock-directed video for “Life On Mars.” Iconic!

Bowie One Leg and Sleeve Costume

OMG so much Fun!

David Bowie Is Runs Through July 15th, 2018 at the Brooklyn Museum.