How do you properly tell the story of a city – any city – but specifically New York, spanning 320 square miles of multi-layered history and individual attitude? Make it an ode to clothes.
“a matter of elegance”a pop-up fashion museum opening September 9, is an exploration of New York’s artistic legacy, framed through the extensive photo archives of the Fairchild Media Group, whose strong personal portfolio includes Women’s daily wear. (WWD It is owned by Penske Media Corporation, which is the same parent company ARTnews.) The museum, on display at AG Studios in Manhattan, will present exclusive illustrations, vintage fashion, immersive experiences and photography alongside New York Fashion Week.
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Fairchild, founded in 1910 by John Fairchild, owns one of the most important archives of fashion photography in the media. The film includes characters from quintessential New York characters along with images of ordinary people whose daily dramas unfold outside the spotlight.
There’s Jackie Kennedy, stepping out of her usual lunch spot, La Grenouille. Notable downtown figures such as Andy Warhol and Patti Smith featured in its pages. Epochs in American history unfold before the photographer’s lens: ruched skirts are synonymous with the nuclear family; high beaded hippies; The elegant uniform of the era of the black panther. Writer and photo activist Michaela Angela Davis once said, “Style is language and reflects history just like any other kind of visual media.” WWD.
“A Matter of Style” comes during a productive time for fashion shows. Perhaps due to the continuing popularity of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, clothing has entered the art establishment—not always a smooth process—where its historical weight is taken into account. Currently, a survey of the work of the late artist and designer Virgil Abloh is underway at the Brooklyn Museum. The Fashion Institute’s last big outing also focused on American fashion, though more emphasis was placed on its ties to European haute couture.
The special focus of the Fairchild Museum in New York is a gentle aberration. It should provide some insight into how the personal and the political intersect on our clothes.
To find out more about the offer, ARTnews Chat on the phone with curator, visual culture historian, archivist and design educator, Tonya Blasio Lecures. Below is an abbreviated version of the conversation.
Can you talk a little bit about your role as an archive specialist?
My work here revolves around the archival content of all Fairchild trademarks. I came to PMC as a historian of visual culture. And so, I use my background in fashion history to bring an element of storytelling to the way I look at the Fairchild archives, which is just an incredible amount of information. Really, this is a well-deserved moment for Fairchild, who has been there to capture exactly what fashion has been saying for decades. This year it celebrates its 112th anniversary. It embodies the history of fashion, spanning across designers, runways, celebrities, music, and art — and there is no part of our culture untouched. This show will specifically focus on the story of fashion in New York City.
And how did you settle on a story to tell about New York?
It focused on the people, places and things that made it a global fashion city, but also made it different from any other city else Fashion City. It’s about creating context: what was happening at that moment, disguised as what New Yorkers were wearing. I mean, just think of denim – consider the effect of that photo of James Dean in jeans and a white T-shirt. You are instantly transported to that moment in time.
And New York – America, in fact – developed differently from European capitals. Her fashion was more democratic. Denim and other fashions reflected America’s drive to shape its own cultural zeitgeist. Think earthquake youth in the ’60s, black panther costume in the ’70s. Every generation was trying to say something.
how do you think WWD distinguish itself from similar fashion publications?
The exhibition focuses on how to do it WWD He was picking on that, how intimate he was with the scene. John Fairchild viewed fashion as a conversation, and how its developments might foretell the course of the zeitgeist. since early, WWD She’ll take street-style photos in and around town—they’ve been called “They’re Wearing,” and they’ll appear weekly in the post. New York in general was one of the first fashion capitals to pay extra attention not only to what the models were wearing, but to everyone, perhaps because there were always so many photographers working here. “The Ladies Who Lunch” is another brand of the magazine – it was dedicated to a social life. In a way, this was all an early form of social media.
As a visual historian, what do you think of the “Art of Fashion” debate?
The understanding of fashion as an art form has changed. Fashion is a cultural memory we live in. It makes sense that it is opened to a very critical space. fashion he is Art – has levels, has processes. Her inspiration, she tells a story. The person sculpting it can speak softly or very loudly. Going back to the idea of American fashion being democratic, so it is with art as well. Art and fashion simultaneously are these things that may seem elusive or inaccessible. But this is never the case.
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