23 Fashion Entry 1

Over the years many people will look at fashion as just clothing. But to me and many other people argue it being more than just that, it can be seen as a legitimate art form. People express themselves through their clothing, portray their emotion and feelings through it, which is something we see in painting, sculpture and all different types of mediums. An article on observer.com says “The art we wear and live with is the art we become. Art—fashion and otherwise—reflects who we are and who we aspire to be.” (Berges, 2017) This really backs up the idea of people portraying their emotions through fashion.  I think many people don’t look past fashion as being something more than shopping at the mall and influencers styling clothing. Things like costume design and many other things have begun to show fashion being more than just the clothes on your body. Composition and thought go behind these things which we also see in what we consider to be a “fine art.”

“Historically, fashion has rarely been elevated to the same stature as painting, music, sculpture or architecture. But fashion is one of the purest expressions of art because it is art lived on a daily basis.” (Berges, 2017) This quote was also pulled from the same article on observer.com. It really backs up the idea that it has been a hard task to prove fashion is an art form. Though with time and many well known people arguing that fashion is more than clothes it has started to change. Anna Wintour Vogue’s editor and chief has truly helped claim fashion as a fine art. She is a part of a permanent exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcasing beautiful costume design. With an exhibit like this that is doing so well making a whopping 125 million dollars through the Met Gala. (Goldstien, 2014) has helped prove the point of classifying fashion as an art. It takes big things like this to change the stubborn minds of people stuck in the idea of fashion just being the clothes you put on your body each morning.

Along with Anna Wintour’s permanent exhibit of 15 costumes at Metropolitan Museum, she also leads the annual benefit at the museum called the Met Gala. Many will see the Met Gala as just an event where celebrities gather, but it actually is very important to the art world. Patricia Field, a renowned costume designer, said “The Met Gala and the Costume Institute shine light on the creative process of design.” “Fashion affects the art world as it provides a bridge of understanding and experience to all who participate in both.” So many people will disregard the creative process it takes to make these elegant gowns. With the help of all these great minds that work together with Wintour to coordinate the Met Gala it has started to enlighten people on the creative process it takes to create the gowns. A quote from artsy.net resonates well with this, it reads “ Because of the Costume Institute, these inventive designs are no longer just garments, but require the same care in display as a Vincent van Gogh portrait or an Alexander Calder mobile. They represent a story of an era in culture, a creative idea made physical through color and textiles—in short, a work of art.” (Goodman, 2019) I assume with the help of the Met Gala most people will begin to accept fashion as a fine art.