Summer in New York means seeing the Costume Institute Exhibition. This year’s theme is “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”. I won’t go into details on the display because you have to see this magnificent Catholic fashionable clothing for yourself! Already the settings of the Met’s Medieval Wing and the Met Cloisters museum are an excellent way to express this period. But what I will analyse is its ‘dare devil’, challenging theme: Fashion and Catholicism!
What have Catholicism and Fashion in common? How can they inspire each other when I rather see them as contradictoir ?
I was brought up Catholic. School was a convent, wearing a uniform and being taught by nuns in habit stable outfits. The sacred rhythm of all year round the same. And when we went to Mass, the priest wore a stunning cardinal red tunic embroidered with gold lining thread. The sheer volume of drapery gave him presence – clearly a “more is more” attitude. And that’s exactly what inspired Fashion designers before and now. On the one hand, the show-off dressing of the clergy and, on the other hand, the neutral humble monk clothing.
Let me explain. The Catholic Clothing Triangle is movement, surface and volume.
Aristocracy and clergy, state and church nobles dressed to impress. They wanted to show that they were supreme. There was a hierarchy of materials that expressed your social ranking: gold jewels, furs, brocade, lace and silk were top of the list. Wools and rags stayed at the bottom. The excessive volume of drapery seen in those absurdly long vestments were difficult to make. It involved time-consuming work handmade by proper craftsmen and therefore it was extremely expensive. It was meant to stunt and amaze us.
We also need to mention how important colours were on those gorgeous (in)vestments. Red and purples identified richdom and status. Blues were very celestial and valuable. Divine radiance was expressed in colours like gold. They represented devotional Catholics, wearing a cross, an ornament with a shining magnificence. This clearly influenced Dolce & Gabana, Chanel, Victor & Rolf, JP Gaultier , Craig Green to name a few.
Next up is movement. For me, that means angels and their wings. You can find a supernatural energy in the wings, like a rush of wind. The sheer bulk of fabric has a tremendous effect. The wings feel like a natural extension. It definitely gave inspiration to the following French designers who lived in that Catholic era at the beginning of the twentieth century. Jeanne Lanvin’s dresses with the wide sleeves looked and surely felt like wings. The rippling bias at the bottom of a Madeleine Vionnet dress gave a new meaning to angelic wear. Or the tears of chiffon in Madame Gres dresses moved in the slightest mysterious breece possible forward. And in the US, back in 1938, Claire Mc Cardell invented the “Monastic Dress”. She applied it to any dress without a waistline, easy ready-to-wear. What’s in a name ?
It also gave inspiration to a modern age in which Alexander McQueen’s wing dresses are unforgettable. More recently, I recognise it in the flower dresses from Valentino and Gucci, as if you have several wings on your back wearing this kind of it-dress.
When it comes to surface, we refer to the neutral uniforms worn by monks in colours like white, beige and ecru. A monastic gown wearer is in touch with nature. We are talking rough brown materials like linen with a cord as rope. There are few barriers between you and the real world when you wear this. Sculptural sublime is found in such monk clothing. They express parts of the human body in such a perfectly designed way and make it into one solid garment. A kind of elegance comes from the human body when created in a more sculptural, architectural way with the use of true materials and fabrics. That’s where Fashion steps in. This is definitely the thinking world of Balanciaga, Martin Margiela, Raf Simons, A.F. Vandevorst, Rick Owens or Olivier Theyskens. They represent a new wave of timeless designs and the essence of making sober, minimalistic, humble clothing.
In the last twenty years, interestingly enough, especially Japanese designers transcend Catholic art in their creations, although they have not been catholically educated or ever lived in that culture. But they sense the energy and the power of this religion, which they communicate in their amazing garments. We mean Rei Kawakubo, Yamamoto and Undercover by Jun Takahashi.
So now it is clear what Catholicism and Fashion have given each other and how they influenced one another. I’m sure the mysticism and pure materials used in the Catholic Church wardrobe will continue to inspire the creation of heavenly outfits!
To be continued…
TeDe
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