The Metropolitan Museum of Arts, located in New York City presents 5,000 years of art from all around the world.
This spring, the Costume Institute situated in Fifth Avenue, comes through with more than 170 ensembles dating from the 20th century to the present, within can be find great designers such as Dior, Raf Simons, Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel, Chalayan and others.
“Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology,” at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum.
haute couture without the couture Karl Lagerfel
These study cases seek to explore the never-ending discord between the creative processes: hand-made (manus) and machine-made (machina), in the creation of haute couture and ready to wear. This exposition, refutes the belief which ties the hand-made distinction and the machine-made with massive production, bad quality and third world labor abuse.
The exhibit gives place to study cases where several ensembles of haute couture and ready to wear are de-codified to reveal their true DNA manus/machina. The study case which better how false is this belief is the Chanel wedding ensemble by Karl Lagerfeld, which he describes as «haute couture without the couture»
This piece represents the confluence between the hand-made and machine-made. Made with knitted scuba, the piece is machine sewn with hand-made finishes. The printed designs were hand drew by Lagerfeld, digitalised and computer manipulated to have a more random appearance, a more baroque pattern hand-printed with a complex. Through this exhibit, its given end to the everlasting belief which devalues machine-made, considering it massive production, bad quality and third world labor abuse.
This week is your last chance to visit this exhibit, The Metropolitan Museum of Art just added a little more time. On Sept. 2 and 3, during the exhibition’s final weekend, the Met will keep its doors open until midnight.
Thanks for reading!
Article by Fernanda Gueçaimburu
For more info. on the exhibit click here
