Fashion Show: Paris Collections as Art

Opened last Sunday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) ‘Fashion Show: Paris Collections 2006′ is an exhibition of outfits from 10 influential designers’ 2006 spring couture or fall ready-to-wear collections. Those on show include designs by Azzedine AlaÑ—a, Hussein Chalayan, Chanel,
Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Maison Martin Margiela, Rochas,
Valentino, Viktor & Rolf, and Yohji Yamamoto. Each designer is exhibiting 8- 10 of their pieces from the Paris catwalks displayed on mannequins and installed incorporating lighting and musical elements to reflect the mood of their runway show.

The museum explains their decision for staging the show saying "Paris is the undisputed center of the fashion world, and "Fashion Show: Paris Collections 2006" demonstrates why fashion remains a fine art."

The New York Times today has a review of the show- and of the typical art or fashion debate it re-ignites, whilst also adding some very valid comments on the future of fashion consumption –

‘At worst, “Fashion Show” could be an omen of museum subjects to come
— perhaps a retrospective, sponsored by Macy’s, of designs made for
“Project Runway.” ‘

‘The exhibition has been a hit since it opened on Nov. 8, its beauty
deceptively guised in its simplicity. To join the hundreds of
museum-goers as they pace through the galleries, many boldly assessing
the work, is to grasp the appeal of fashion today in popular culture.
Collections can now be scrutinized on Style.com, and television shows
like “Project Runway” and “Ugly Betty” have pulled back the curtains of
the industry, making astute critics of the museum-going public.’

The exhibition is on until 18th March 2007, so there’s  plenty of time to check it out- alternatively you could just go for a walk down 5th Avenue and just see the otfits hanging in the stores.

read the NYT article
read  the press release at Art Daily