One unique thing about this exhibition is that it’s more than admiring. Just imagine beautiful costumes on the mannequin showing how diverse costume design could be, how they are connected to the performance, designer’s emotions, and the characteristics of different time periods. All the designers have something in common - their appreciation of the elegance, and athleticism of the body’s movement. A good dancing performance is made by good dancers; every dancer is unique and has his own soul, which makes every performance unique, because the time, setting and emotions of each performance can never be the same. I see so many characteristics co-exist in the showroom - costumes from different dancing performances, different eras, and different cultures all being displayed in one room, and look surprisingly cohesive together. The focus of this exhibit is to help people understand more about the strong connection between dancing and fashion that had been neglected before, because we didn’t have an exhibition that would focus on this category previously. The exhibition includes masterpieces of costume designs from some of the most famous designers of the 20th century, inspired by various kinds of elements. It reminds me of the dance performance I’ve been to. Each experience is so unique and unrepeatable, exactly like art pieces in its own way.
Dance performances create a certain type of chemistry that belongs to the audience and so does the costume with the dancer. The dancer is the soul of the performance; his costume is intended to help the performer look his best during the show, in order to correspond with the dance. It is a combination of outlook and inner side, hardware and software; the performance would be incomplete without these parts working with each other cohesively. The costume also reflects fashion trends of the time. Looking at the pieces somehow reminds me a little part of the fashion history hidden inside, and the signature of the designer. The design of the costume creates a platform for art, design, and performance that can coexist together. The performance creates a bond between the dancer who is performing, the designer who designed those costumes, and the combination of the two above that creates a connection with the audience. Every costume in the showroom is telling me a story of that time period it belonged to, imagining how the dance performance creates a visual and sensational experience for the audience, it is truly a very unique art form.
The costumes allow more space for creativity in a way, because they are designed for the performance, and designers concentrate on how their costume designs speak for the show when dancers perform. Ready-to-wear is for people’s daily use, so it needs to be designed in a more general mindset compared to art costumes. However, the movement of the body is a very important factor to think about when an artist designs. The designs should be adapting to the body, and designers need to make their costumes comfortable for the people who wear them. A famous designer Isaac Mizrahi once told the Vogue, “Dance inspires me - the dancer’s sinewy body - muscles that defy gravity - the challenge of constant movement.” This quote explains why designers are so excited when they are invited to create dance costumes. They have a perfect opportunity to interpret the outlook of a great performance, and to explore about the movement of the body. Designers feel that they are creating something closer to the pure art and less commercial. The elegance and athleticism are also great sources of inspiration; it is a multi-beneficial challenge for designers when they design costumes, to make art pieces, but also to study about the relation between body and clothes.
Why many fashion designers are inspired by dancing performance when they design their collection?
Artists and designers share the same kind of desire to create beautiful things; it’s something in their DNA to create and appreciate things they love. Whether it’s a costume for dancer or ready-to-wear, it needs to be created in the designer’s mind that focuses on the needs of the body, a mind center by the body, and dancer. The concept is the same as when they are designing clothes for people’s daily life - to provide an elegant solution for any problem they might have. A good dance performance should be capable of delivering a strong message to its audience; it is a concentration of the era. It reflects the artistic direction of the society of that period, but yet allows a huge space for creativity for the artists. A good performance would have multiple ways to interact with its audience, and leave them an empty space for imagination. This space should let the audience to rethink constantly about the performance, and develop some kind of unique chemistry with the audience. It is very similar with clothes. Designers present their collections, but in the end it all depends on the people who wear them to interpret it in their own style. This similarity is the main reason that made designers so excited when they watch a dance performance, or have a chance to design costumes for dancing performances, because they belong to the same channel.
