The idea behind the National Gallery of Victoria’s exhibition on drape in fashion was to explore the two very different uses of draping material; clinging and elevated, from Greco-Roman through to Rei Kawakubo and Vivienne Westwood…
Drape: Classical Mode to Contemporary Dress
NGV International
180 St Kilda Road
Southbank Melbourne
"Drawn predominantly from the NGV Collection and including recent acquisitions and key loans, Drape presents a stunning array of works in order to explore the practice of draping cloth on the body in two dominant modes – clinging drape and elevated drape."
The idea behind the National Gallery of Victoria’s exhibition on drape in fashion was to explore the two very different uses of draping material; clinging and elevated. The idea behind clinging drape is that it is supposed to hold to the body, accentuating and flattering the body. They referred to several classical elements, Greco-Roman influence on drapery and the influence from Asian culture.
Clinging drape is supposed to accentuate the curves, giving a strong sense of sensuality. Originally clinging drape was associated with the gods, which implied power, sensuality and opulence. The exhibition did well to raise the awareness of how very pervasive fabric draping has been on society. The mark of a good painter was centered around the ability to capture the drape of the fabric, being draped in furs was a sign of prestige and royalty, as I looked around the room, everyone who was there was draped in some way or form.
The cling section was all very familiar, from the Grecian sculpture and vases to the 1970s pant and trouser piece. What I found really interesting was the elevated pieces.
Vivienne Westwood’s contemporary take on the 1800s bustle was unbelievable. The bustle came from the idea that the body was sinful and maligned the soul, so the body was squeezed into a corset as an attempt to control the body and thus its urges. The irony is that the corset and the bustle have such sex appeal that they negate the original intention. Westwood is a self taught designer who learnt by going over historical pieces and reinventing them. Her bustle carefully lifts upwards and off to the left. The piece is in a rich, lush, gold fabric that makes you want to reach out and touch it.
Elevated drape is supposed to be a construction away from the body, sometimes disregarding it entirely. Rei Kawakubo’s dress from spring/summer 1997 at first feels like a complete monstrosity. It is bulky, ungainly and would make the wearer forget she ever had curves. But upon second viewing, the dress starts to evolve. Once you realize that the person who designed this dress is a genius and clearly had a reason for creating it as it is, it starts to appear as a masterpiece. It’s like a puff of smoke, a cloud that sits around the body giving a feeling of mystery, intrigue and ultimately these things evoke sexiness.
The one criticism of Drape I have is that there wasn’t a movement piece. The dresses were made to be worn, and it would have given the pieces a lot more meaning to see them move. Perhaps the owners were protective of their investments, but at least for the dresses made in the past 10 years there should have been some catwalk footage.
By Lucy Telford, March 2010.
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