Richard Martin, Harold Koda
Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art New York
Copyright 1995
Out of Print
120 color illus.
118 pages
Softcover 1996 edition in very good condition, slight creases on back cover.
Published to accompany an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute, this lavishly illustrated volume provides a survey of the history of haute couture (fashion driven by the artistic expression of the designer rather than the dictates of clients) from its beginnings with the formation of the House of Worth in mid-19th-century Paris to the present-day creations of fashion's major designers. From its inception, haute couture has been closely aligned with modern art, "a fulfillment of mutually agreeing ideas that are contingent upon and wrought on the human body." This synergism can be seen in garments such as Poiret's "sorbet" lampshade gown, influenced by the Orientalism of the 1910s, and Chanel's "little black dress," the archetype of clothing's penchant for social reversal and political change, as well as in contemporary couturiers such as Gianni Versace, whose 1995 evening gown merges old technique and new technology by manipulating industrial-weight vinyl onto a crystalline overskirt evocative of 19th-century silhouette. Authors Koda and Martin, curators at the Costume Institute, have given special prominence to technique, the workshop masteries distinguishing the couture from other visual arts. Highly recommended for all fashion collections.
