Wear The Wild Things Are

Yesterday morning, I met my sister on Park Avenue and 86th Street in NYC.  We strolled over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she in ladylike flats and a vintage Hermes scarf tied just right around her neck and I in my summer staple white jeans with a flowy jade green blouse.  Alexander McQueen would not have approved.  And after seeing the exhibit of clothes from five of his collections, I understand why.

photo courtesy of thehuffingtonpost.com

photo courtesy of thehuffingtonpost.com

These are clothes and accessories that are unconventional, dramatic, daring, exciting, provocative, sensual and beautifully strange.   While walking through the  dimly lit rooms, you imagine yourself moving from a jungle, to a dungeon, to a royal court, to a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream.  There was a dress made from ostrich feathers and medical slides, and another from silk and dried flowers. A headpiece of floating          

butterflies  was created from dyed turkey feathers.  Wood, leather, and mussel shells are carved, shaped and tailored to create skirts, corsets and dresses.
And it wasn't just the clothes that were awe inspiring.  There were messages throughout the galleries from McQueen himself, explaining his vision and his way of looking at the world.
 These quotes were like extra little gifts McQueen left for us, scattered throughout the show.                                                                

photo courtesy of mylifeasapearl.com

                        This exhibit confirms once and for all that fashion like McQueen's is art and deserves a place in one of the greatest museums in the world, not just on the frames of the lucky ladies who have worn his extraordinary clothes.  Maybe my sister and I can splurge on something together one day and take a walk on the wild side of fashion.  We are about the same size after all.

http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/