China: Through the Looking Glass at The Met, Part 1 -- The People's Republic

The fantastic exhibition "China Through the Looking Glass" at The Metropolitan Museum in NYC closes on September 7th. I saw it when I was in New York a couple of weeks ago and have been trying to work out how to present my findings. It's a very impressive array of fashion, art, and Chinese artifacts, scattered through multiple levels and galleries of the museum, including the Egyptian Galleries, the Chinese Galleries, and the Anna Wintour Costume Center. It is a multi-media extravaganza with garments (couture, costumes, and antique Chinese), thematically related art pieces from the Met's vast collection, and movie clips curated by director Wong Kar Wei.

One is lead to the portal tucked away amidst the Egyptian Galleries (Gallery #132, very hard to find).
This first section references the era of The People's Republic of China.

Inspired by Mao left to right:

Vivienne Tam, Dress, spring/summer 1995, Polychrome printed nylon mesh

Any Warhol, [12 versions] Mao, Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas, each 12 x 10", 1973 [?]

Vivienne Tam, "Mao Suit", spring/summer 1995, silk jacquard

Unidentified Artist (Chinese, active 1960s), retouched by Chen Shilin, Chairman Mao, Gelatin silver print, 12 x 9.75", 1964

My blurry photos don't do these garments justice --
at that point I didn't realize the "no photography" edict was not being enforced.

Vivienne Westwood, Ensemble, spring/summer 2012, cotton poplin

John Galliano for Dior, Ensemble, spring/summer 1999

 Jacket: silk shantung with red piping and gold metallic frogging, Skirt: silk jacquard

After this gallery, one is then lead to the lower level Anna Wintour Costume Center.
Once there, I pulled out my sketchbook, to help examine garment silhouette and construction.

I took photos as well, though I have found that sketching really helps one focus on what one is observing when it comes to garments. I guess it's the great training that I had at Otis, where Jack Handford, our History of Fashion instructor, insisted that we sketch during his slide presentations.

Tomorrow, I'll feature the Quipao Inspired section of the exhibition, both with my sketches and photos.

Note: I relied on the exhibition catalogue China: Through the Looking Glass and The Met's website for information, especially the details on the art and garments. Selected Images from the catalogue can be viewed on The Met's Pinterest board.

My Personal Punk xPerience

GIFTED/ LINKS

The reported dilemmas of How to Dress Punk for the Met Costume Ball have elicited some eye rolls and sarcastic snorts over here on planet SpyGirl. So many of the attendees had no clue! They either weren't yet born or ran in a more [cough cough] elevated crowd when Punk reared its ugly head in the 70s.

I never was a punk, just punk-adjacent. Although I lived in Manhattan in 77/78 and went into the city frequently in the early 80s, I never made it to CBGB. I DID sell DIY jewelry on the street as one of my last "jobs" before exiting the city, which is more wannabe-punk. And the fact that I got a street vendor's license negates any possible punk cred.

Surely somewhere there is a chart differentiating New Wave and Punk. I was New Wave. It was happier.

I moved to the greater LA area in the fall of 82. I'd say this this was the Rococo Era on the Punk timeline. The X was friends with one of the Perkins brothers, owners of Perkins Palace in Pasadena. He "helped out" in the concession stand (mostly throwing beers onto the audience) during many a punk show.

Here is my souvenir tee:

"A bill made in hell!
The Cramps with...
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds,
plus Die Schloflosen, Saccharine Trust
Perkins Palace Fri 22 Jun '84"

For your amusement, here are a few NYT links reviewing the Met's exhibition "Punk: Chaos to Couture": 1, 2, 3. [thanks to Ruth!]

Have you seen the show? What do you think?