Fashion Wire Daily - New York - Just in time for summer blockbuster season, with comic book-based movies such as "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight" taking over the collective imagination, comes the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Superheroes" at the Costume Institute, a look at the intersection of fashion and the fantastic and the transformative power of costume as it relates specifically to popular superhero characters.
Curated by the Costume Institute's Andrew Bolton, the exhibit officially opens to the public on May 7 and kicked off with the "party of the year," the Costume Institute's annual star-studded gala on Monday, May 5, co-chaired by George Clooney, Julia Roberts (both of whom wore Giorgio Armani) and Anna Wintour (who wore Chanel Haute Couture).
Dynamic super duos included Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez (in Alberta Ferretti), Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (both in Armani) and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (in different gowns by Diane von Furstenberg). Vera Wang, wearing her own design, also dressed model Karolina Kurkova, while Liv Tyler donned Calvin Klein Collection and Scarlett Johansson opted for Dolce & Gabanna. Beyonce looked stunning in a tightly-bodiced Armani Prive gown while Eva Longoria wore Hollywood favorite Marchesa.
"Superheroes" explores the visual iconography of comic book superheroes, as well as their role as symbols for social and political realities. From their body-conscious unitards, revealing the superhero's stronger-than-human form, to suits that exhance the wearer's power through artificial means, whether it's to swim faster, assert sexual dominance or fly, as in the case of a suit designed by Atair Aerospace, the designs featured in the exhibit show the way that clothing, whether functional or a purely fantastic clothing, can be used to alter the human body and change how one is perceived by others.
Different sections in the exhibit (Nathan Crowley, a production designer for "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," consulted on the design of the exhibit, which makes the viewer feel as though they've landed inside a comic book panel or film set) examine themes like "The Armored Body" or "The Mutant Body" and show designs whose main elements coincide with protection or metamorphosis, respectively, like robot-like gold metallic leggings by Nicholas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga in 2007, or Thierry Mugler's bird-woman haute couture from 1997.
Actual costumes, like the suit worn by Robert Downey, Jr. in "Iron Man" and Tobey Maguire's "Spider-Man," are intermingled with looks that range from haute couture gowns by Jean Paul Gaultier or Armani to fetishistic looks by Thierry Mugler and Dolce & Gabanna to extreme avant-garde fashion by Gareth Pugh or As Four.
In some cases, designs in the exhibit are influenced by a particular superhero, like John Galliano's Wonder Woman-like ensembles for Christian Dior haute couture. Another design, a gown with embroidered spider webs from a 1990 collection by Armani, was displayed alongside a costume from "Spider-Man 3," though Armani told reporters that Spider-Man was far from his mind when he designed it.
"I am known for designing fashion that is worn everyday," said Giorgio Armani, who said in a speech during a press conference on Monday that he was surprised he'd been chosen as the primary exhibit sponsor. "But the contrast of this exhibit with the name of Armani, I think it's something quite special."
The exhibit will be open at the Met in New York throughout the summer, until September 1.
