Is Fashion Art? Or a Secret Third Thing?

I don’t think anyone in the fashion world was actually surprised by the MET Gala dress code that was announced for this year.

And that’s because it’s been very clear that fashion and art have become so overlapped that they almost feel interchangeable in our current fashion discourse.

Most recently: it feels like fashion shows feel like exhibits, museum exhibits feature fashion pieces and the editorials that are actually making an impact are the ones created and visualized through an artistic lens.

So the dress code, “Fashion is Art” very much makes sense for the moment we’re in.

But I can’t help but break down the actual phrase.

Because it feels less like a title and more like a declaration. And I think that poses an interesting distinction.

Because: is fashion art?

I started a book recently called “Fashion and Psychoanalysis” by Alison Bancroft and in her introduction, the author actually makes an interesting argument that fashion is not art.

But it’s not in the way you might think.

One might feel defensive about the phrase “fashion is not art,” especially if they have a love for artistic fashion design. I felt that at first, too. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I do like how Bancroft poses this idea that it’s almost in a category of its own. Because it relies on being completely actualized on the body.

Interstingly enough, the MET Gala’s actual exhibition theme, ties into this very idea. The theme of the exhibition is “Costume Art” but specifically focuses on exploring the ways in which fashion represents, enhances and disfigures the human form.

And to me, that idea in itself feels a bit more exciting than simply the phrase “Fashion is Art”.

Regardless, this common thread between the exhibition and the gala dress code will definitely show up in the looks tomorrow somehow.

Based on this prompt, ask yourself:

• What is fashion’s relationshp to the body?

• Are there any examples of fashion that doesn’t rely on its relationship to the body?

• What are some other art forms or specific pieces you can think of that rely on the body (i.e. dance or performance art)?

• If you observe the looks tomorrow, which ones seem to fit the theme of “Fashion Is Art” vs. themes of the body’s relationship to fashion? Which looks do a balance of both?

Stay curious,

Arbela

🦢

→ Fashion Prompt is a weekly series where I entice your curiosity about fashion through an excerpt, a quote, a photo or other piece of media that you may scroll past otherwise. These will arrive in your inbox every Sunday. Stay tuned for more updates on this series and other goodies/resources I’m planning to include! As always, thank you for reading.