Fashion enthusiasts have the rare chance to examine the legacy of some of the most recognized couturiers in the world, as a special retrospective on the history and significance of color and fashion is underway in Seoul.
" She's Like a Rainbow: Color and Fashion,'' which opened last week at Seoul’s Rodin Gallery, displays 50 pieces from the houses of Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga, among others with 25 ensembles by five local designers.

The 50 garments on display from the most prestigious haute couture houses in the world on loan here from the permanent collection of the Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City, make this the first international scale fashion exhibition to be presented at a museum or art gallery in South Korea.

Designed to commemorate Samsung Art & Design Institute's 10th anniversary, this is also the first time pieces from the FIT museum will be shown in Asia.

Divided largely into two exhibits, room one offers a look into the works of internationally revered designers organized according to primary colors _ red, blue and yellow and secondary colors: orange, green and purple.

In the hall beside room one, the creations of Jung Ku-ho, Kim Dong-soon, Park Eun-kyung, Seo Jung-ki and husband and wife team Andy & Debb have been clustered into five groups: blue, red, black, white and yellow, the very colors that make up "obangsaek,’’ or the traditional Korean five base colors. Each of the designers contributed a piece to the making of the Obangsaek spectacle.

Stark contrasts can be witnessed throughout.

Examples would be the afternoon dress made of white cotton pique and black cotton cording (designer unknown) that dates back to 1876 and a floor-grazing viscose jersey dress with coordinating contour belt, which was a part of Tom Ford for Gucci’s Fall 1996 collection.

With its interlaced geometric details, the afternoon dress is similar to what is seen in Claude Monet’s 1866 piece "Women in the Garden,’’ in which it would have been associated with innocence, yet a novelty for the wealthy and fashionable.

The white color of mid-90s’ Gucci dress, reminiscent of the sleek dresses of the 1970s, suggests something quite the opposite: brilliant, provocative and alluring.

Taking two examples from the same period visitors should have great fun comparing the works of the brilliant colorist Elsa Shiaparelli and that of Gabrielle "Coco’’ Chanel, who is credited with having liberated members of her fellow sex with designs that allowed ease and comfort they had never before known.

Sciaparelli’s fuchsia number in silk crepe with decorations in the form of black flies made from jet seed beads and black sequin ornaments (circa 1940), shows just how the Paris-based Italian like her mentor Paul Poiret was not afraid of provocation.

However in reaction to the unleashing of such brilliant colors, Chanel, which is said to have been "nauseated’’ by them, opted to put out neutral pieces. This 1926 black dress and tunic is a perfect example of one of the earliest LBD.

Other numbers that should be of interest include pieces of Roy Halston’s collection. The long sequined shift in royal blue, a gift of Hollywood star Lauren Bacall, and the lavender full length cashmere evening dress and matching sweater coat demonstrate why this American designer has been described as "fashion’s first minimalist.’’

The five Dior pieces that are included in the showing, a deep blue silk chiffon cocktail dress from 1950, a 1955 white organdy with embroidered floral applique ball gown, a 1963 dark green velvet evening dress and the 2001 Dior by John Galliano camouflage evening dress, allow insight into how the fashion house has evolved the past 50 years.

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[ Close ]   Date: 2007-9-19