Museum highlights Japanese fashions - #lakewoodnews

Step out of the elevator on the sixth floor of the North (Ponti) Building of the Denver Art Museum and enter a different world -- one that tells a story about Japanese fashion design arriving in Paris in the '80s and '90s, and causing a major stir.In an introduction to gallery visitors at last week's press preview, museum director Chistoph Heinrich observed that the "Shock Wave: Japanese Fashion Design 1980s-90s" exhibit marked "an epic moment in time when a dialogue between East and West turned around -- when fashion was done for women to wear -- instead of for men to look at."Last year, Florence Muller joined the Denver Art Museum as Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art, Curator of Fashion. This is her first exhibition for the DAM, although Denver was familiar with her skills because she curated the extremely popular Yves St. Laurent fashion exhibit in 2012, while still a resident of Paris.Wearing a well-designed black dress, with red sandals and a detailed yellow handbag, she spoke initially of her adventure in assembling this exhibit. She will focus on fashion of the 21st century as she builds a collection for the DAM-beginning with some of the pieces we see in "Shock Wave."The world of fashion was watching New York in the 1970s and 1980s when designers from Tokyo created a "shock wave," Muller said in her exhibit commentary...This exhibition includes '70s looks by Issey Miyake, Kenzo Takada, Kansai Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garcons. "This exhibition will trace the origins of the innovations that they created through the reinvention of textiles, silhouettes and even fashion brand identity," Mueller said. Some designs flow from the Kimono tradition, while most seem unrelated. And they are worn with low-heeled shoes and no lipstick. Confrontations between Japanese and Parisian designers occurred.There are five thematic sections described by the museum: How East Met West -- How designers mixed Japanese forms and patterns with Western shapes and textiles and the intersection between tradition and modernity. Japanese and Western Fashion Confronted -- Showcases the contrast between Japanese and Western drapery techniques -- molding the body versus hiding the body with oversized shapes. Deconstruction/Reconstruction -- Focuses on the creation of avant-garde shapes and textiles based on "deconstructing" and reinventing the traditional Western representation of femininity. Looks by Comme des Garcons, Junya Watanabe and Yohji Yamamoto will exemplify how they overthrew standards in their approach to fabric cut and style. Some fabrics have been washed and harshly treated to get a worn effect. Art and Fashion in Dialogue -- Highlights the convergence of art and fashion through contemporary art, including photographs and rare publications as well as dance and film collaborations ... pioneered a new form of media. How West met East -- Concludes the exhibition by reversing the first section, highlighting how the next wave of Western designers were inspired by the trends set by Japanese designers. Included: designs by Martin Margiela. Dries Van Noten, Helmut Lang and John Galliano. They continued the wave of the innovative Japanese aesthetic including conceptualism, minimalism, diverse ways of challenging the fashion system.Fashion show photography and video footage add interest as do designer catalogs and some furniture that shows Japanese influence.Mueller bought some pieces at auction and borrowed others from museums and individuals. Lenders Joan Agajanian Quinn of Los Angeles and Susan Damour of Denver were present at the press tour. Quinn said she met Japanese fashion at the American Embassy in Tokyo and brought an exhibit to the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. Damour, regional administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration, Rocky Mountain Region, began her interest in art and fashion at an early age and the interest carries through to artworks displayed in the buildings she oversees.The visitor will want to savor this exhibit slowly to appreciate the intricate cutting that went into creating these clothes. The light is necessarily low so it won't damage the fabrics and has the effect of slowing one down. But it also requires one to look closely to appreciate the deconstructed garments and details throughout.A 64-page exhibition catalog, written by Florence Muller and Jane Burke of the textile department, is available in the museum shop.If you go"Shock Wave: Japanese Fashion Design 1980s-90s" is on the sixth floor of the North (Ponti) Building at the Denver Art Museum until May 28, 2017. It is included in general admission. The museum is located in downtown Denver at 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway and more information is available at denverartmuseum.org.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Museum-highlights-Japanese-fashions,235683