CHINA THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Last week to visit this wonderful exhibition at the Metropolitan museum.
 The exhibition explores the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. In this collaboration between The Costume Institute and the Department of Asian Art, high fashion is juxtaposed with Chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, and other art, including films, to reveal enchanting reflections of Chinese imagery. From the earliest period of European contact with China in the sixteenth century, the West has been enchanted with enigmatic objects and imagery from the East, providing inspiration for fashion designers from Paul Poiret to Yves Saint Laurent, whose fashions are infused at every turn with romance, nostalgia, and make-believe. Through the looking glass of fashion, designers conjoin disparate stylistic references into a pastiche of Chinese aesthetic and cultural traditions. The exhibition features more than 140 examples of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear alongside Chinese art. Filmic representations of China are incorporated throughout to reveal how our visions of China are framed by narratives that draw upon popular culture, and also to recognize the importance of cinema as a medium through which to understand the richness of Chinese history.
 The exhibit closes on September 7th

Left:Roberto Cavalli evening dress  fall/winter 2005-06 - Right:Li Xiaofeng

Juo Pei evening dress spring/summer 2007 haute couture

Left: Dior cocktail dress 1951 - Right:Chanel dress 1956

Givenchy evening dress fall/winter 1997-98 haute couture

Johon Galliano for Dior evening dress fall/winter 1997-98

Johon Galliano for Dior evening dress Spring/Summer 2003

Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent evening dress fall/winter 2004-05

Jean Paul Gaultier evening dress fall/winter 2001-02 haute couture

Ralph Lauren evening dress fall/winter 2011-12

Valentino - Shanghai collection 2013

Evening coat 1925

See also:http://www.scostumista.com/2012/12/li-xiaofeng-made-in-china.html

LI XIAOFENG-MADE IN CHINA

Li Xiaofeng è un artista cinese, crea abiti riciclando pezzi di vetro e porcellana, che assembla utilizzando dei fili d'argento creando così delle armature non proprio facilmente indossabili.
Xiaofeng ha iniziato la sua carriera artistica con i murales, per poi passare alla scultura, utilizza pezzi d'antiquariato come richiamo al passato confezionando abiti e armature che rimandano alla tradizione cinese.
Nel 2010 ha anche collaborato con il marchio Lacoste.
Li Xiaofeng is Chinese artist, using recycling pieces of glass and porcelain and assembling them with silver wire to create unique costumes not really wearable. He began his artistic career as a muralist, but quickly turned his attention to scolpture, celebrating the past through the use of antique pieces and making clothing that recalls tradition such as Chinese costumes and armours.
In 2010 he collaborated with the Lacoste brand.