ART IS FASHION?

While googling “art is fashion” (yes i accidentally inverted the nouns in the upcoming Met Gala theme) i came across an article on the Met’s website citing a quote from Karl Lagerfeld

Art is art. Fashion is fashion.

This made me think about my work. Specifically the work which acts a response to fashion. I thought, well, my art is fashion? But upon further contemplation i decided that my pieces are not necessarily fashion per se, because all of my recreations exist as one offs, if they even exist permanently at all. Often they are entirely transient, because they are whittled out of perishable goods like parsnips. How’s that for ethical consumption?

i also have a penchant for salad leaves. They look so fabulous for about an hour before they start to shrivel, bemoaning their unrefrigerated state.

Then i think about Martin Margiela and his use of paint, mainly bianchetto. Something so fabulous about the way in which it cracks over time. Rendering each garment unique. The cracking in the fabric reminiscent of a fingerprint, unique to the wearer.

I bought some secondhand shoes last week, and have been dressing them up slowly.

The first pair, i adorned with ferrero rocher wrapper, a staple of mine.

The second pair, i festooned with balloons. 6 balloons attached together in the form of a flower. I had kept them from an old outfit recreation, knowing that they would come in handy one day. I’m very pleased with the outcome.

The fun thing about this is that as i am not a machine in a factory, and possess only two hands, each pair carries little imperfections and even if i were to recreate them, as a result of them being handmade, they are all unique. I implore you to discover the joy of dressing up some old shoes, all you need is some glue dots and candy wrapper to get going!

It will certainly take more than glue dots to hold the costumes together this first monday in May.

Im looking forward to seeing how ‘Fashion is Art’ will be interpreted.

When i first heard the theme, i was instantly reminded of Tracee Ellis Ross in 2019.

How many frames do we think we’ll see on the carpet this year? the mind boggles.