quote: The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents WILD: Fashion Untamed, December 7, 2004–March 13, 2005 at The Costume Institute, ground floor. WILD: Fashion Untamed presents an extensive exploration of man's ongoing obsession with animalism as expressed through clothing. Since prehistoric times, fur and feathers have been used not only for warmth and protection but also for display and adornment, an expression of sexual and economic exhibitionism. Focusing on contemporary constructions of the fur-clad "Bourgeois Woman," WILD also explores her moral counterpart"”the anti-fur-wearing "Ethical Woman""”as represented in the advertising campaigns of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Pelts and plumes have come to define other ideals of femininity by quoting the physical and sexual characteristics of birds and beasts. Examples on view include Alexander McQueen's "Amazon" dresses, Azzedine Alaïa's "Tigress" bodysuits, and Thierry Mugler's "Black Widow" architectonic constructions. The exhibition also features fantastic feathered costumes of Las Vegas showgirls and coquettish "Birds of Paradise" creations by milliners Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones.
I wish I found this posting before I happened to be in that THE HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSE... One of my favorite things to do is spending some time in empty MET on weekend evenings, but it turned to be SO ugly last nite
I thought this was a fascinating yet disturbing exhibit! Some incredible fashion was on display down there. But at the same time there were certain parts that were very hard to stomach.
