“China: Through the Looking Glass,” a spectacular exhibition curated and organized by Andrew Bolton opened Monday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with production design by Nathan Crowley. Two years in the making, installed both in the Anna Wintour Costume Center and within the grand backdrop of the museum’s Chinese Galleries—a first for contemporary fashion—the show juxtaposes masterpieces of Chinese art and rare artifacts with works by (mostly) Western designers, inspired by the idea of China but emerging from the wilder shores of the imagination. By Leslie Camhi
Fashion Editor: Grace Coddington Photographed by Steven Meisel, Vogue, May 2015
At the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring 2009 show in Paris, John Galliano’s lining on a cream silk ball gown (worn by model Fei Fei Sun) referenced the designer’s fascination with blue-and-white porcelain.
Designers’ imaginations have been fired by visions of pleasure pavilions and blossoming branches, with a handful of familiar motifs emblematic of China itself: the peony, the pagoda, the phoenix captive on the grounds of a summer palace.
Alexander McQueen dress embroidered with birds, butterflies, and flowers, from Autumn 2006.
Many of the garden motifs we associate with China were first popularized in the West by the aristocracy of France and England as patterns on imported or domestic-imitation china and wallpaper.
Valentino created this blue-and-white bouquet-printed gown in Autumn 1968.
Peacocks, cranes, and other gorgeous winged creatures appear on many of the garments in the exhibition.
Mei Lanfang, a 20th-century Peking Opera singer famous for playing female roles, inspired John Galliano’s Spring 2003 Christian Dior Haute Couture collection, including this theatrical ensemble and gilded headpiece, which will be showcased in the exhibition.
Scarlet has so many associations: firecrackers in their bright wrappers; the lucky red-paper trinkets of the Chinese New Year. John Galliano summoned to mind these references for Christian Dior Haute Couture in Spring 1997 with this silk fringed dress with a delicate tracing of flowers from the shoulder.
Image Source & Rights: Vogue Steven Meisel Text Source & Rights: Vogue Leslie Camhi
Hair: Guido Palau; Makeup: Pat McGrath for CoverGirl: Produced by PRODn at Art + Commerce; Set Design: Mary Howard; Wallpaper: Courtesy of de Gournay; Dressing: Madame Paulette Photographed by Steven Meisel, Vogue, May 2015
It was not your average night at the museum, but the biggest and boldest night on fashion’s calendar—the Met Gala. About 600 guests wound their way through the red-carpet tumult and into the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s entrance hall, dominated for the night by a gigantic chinoiserie vase created entirely by white and blue roses. Up the grand staircase lined by fragrant, verdant bamboo they walked, past Vogue staffers clad in pale jade and lapis–toned Michael Kors pajamas.
Tabitha Simmons and Coco Brandolini D'Adda, both in Dolce & Gabbana Photo by Taylor Jewell
Entrance Hall dominated by a gigantic chinoiserie vase created entirely by white and blue roses. Photo by Taylor Jewell
Ivanka Trump in Prabal Gurung and Jared Kushner. Photo by Taylor Jewell
Karen Elson in Dolce Alta Moda Photo: Kevin Tachman/ Vogue
With fashion's heavy hitters and Hollywood's most stylish in attendance, the arrivals always end up being the most jaw-dropping of the year.
Rihanna in Guo Pei Couture Getty Images / Dimitrios Kambouris
Rihanna in Guo Pei Couture Getty Images/ Dimitrios Kambouris
Rihanna arrived draped in a vast fur-lined gold robe —a couture creation that took more than 50,000 hours to make by Chinese designer Guo Pei.
Kim Kardashian in custom Roberto Cavalli Getty Images/ Larry Busacca
Kerry Washington in Prada Getty Images/ Larry Busacca
Fan Bingbing in Christopher Bu Wireimage/ Kevin Mazur
Brie Larson, Courtney Eaton and Annabelle Wallis Getty Images/ Larry Busacca
Bee Shaffer in Alexander McQueen Getty Images
Karen Elson in Dolce Alta Moda Getty Images/Larry Busacca
Jessica Chastain in Givenchy Haute Couture Photo: Taylor Jewell/ Vogue
Annabelle Wallis and Tabitha Simmons both in Dolce Alta Moda Photo: Taylor Jewell/Vogue
The Table Photo by Daniel Arnold/ Vogue
Fan Bingbing in Christopher Bu Photo by Taylor Jewell/ Vogue
Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Wendi Murdoch, and Li Bingbing Photo: David X Prutting/bfanyc.com
Rihanna performing Photo: Kevin Tachman/ Vogue
Image Sources : Vogue.com Style.com Hollywoodreporter.com Popsugar.com
Text Source: Vogue.com NYTimes.com
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