couture

As much as it pains me to say this, I recognize that museums aren’t always the most exciting activity for a lot of people. Most people would much rather go see a movie, shop the mall, or walk the Beltline. And while all those things are just as enjoyable and just as stimulating, I think people all too often are missing out on the chance to experience a unique sense of awe that you can only find within the white temple of the art museum. It does require a willingness, a desire to remove oneself from all the media crap out there and focus in on a moment. A visual record of a moment of individual (or collective) inspiration to create something out of nothing.

Sometimes it can be easy to find that awe, standing in front of gargantuan Rothkos or among rows of classical carrara marble sculptures. Other times it takes explanation, reflection, and thinking outside oneself to find meaning. The High Museum’s mission is to cultivate a community where art appreciation and education can thrive so that this kind of museum-going experience becomes a shared one. Their recent programming aims to entice the broader Atlanta audience and in their upcoming exhibition, they do so through the glossy lens of fashion.

Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion blurs the line between form and function and will be The High Museum’s first ever fashion design exhibition. Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen is known for creating sculptural couture looks which feature various media, everything from magnets to synthetic boat rigging. It’s no wonder she was the first to introduce 3D printing technology into the world of fashion! The integration of this new technique with traditional handiwork results in a collection of pieces that feel at once both out-of-this-world and of the body.

Join me at the opening party for this exhibition on Friday, November 6th from 7:00pm to 10:00pm! The event is free and open to the public, complete with a dance performance from the Atlanta Ballet, music by DJ Speakerfoxxx, and most importantly… Iris van Herpen herself! The exhibition opens officially on November 7th and runs through May 15th 2016, giving you plenty of time to see these extraordinary pieces.

This post is sponsored by The High Museum of Art; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

If I were to become a filmmaker, I imagine that my work would look something a bit like Sofia Coppola’s. Though I’ve not seen all of her films, I hold a deep reverence for three in particular: The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and now The Bling Ring. They make up a perfect trifecta that represent the limited and liberating prison of feminine youth. Dressed in shiny pretty things, all of Coppola’s main characters are archetypes that we see and recognize as ourselves and therefore both love and hate.

In terms of simply “liking” to “disliking”, my preferential order of the three would be parallel to the linear order of the historical settings – Antoinette, Suicides, then Bling. Perhaps this is because the farther removed I am from the context, the more willing I am to buy into the romantic or poetic notion of the characters’ stories. Marie Antoinette is a visual feast for my eyes which makes me completely oblivious and almost ignorant of the actual truth of the history behind the character. On the flip side Bling Ring is similarly attractive to my material desires, but completely sickening for me to indulge in. The disparity in pure viewing pleasure is inversely related to how easily I can envision myself in their respective conflicts. For the purpose of staying focused I will try to remain on the topic of the Bling Ring.

The reason you want to go see The Bling Ring is two-fold; the first being that you love Emma Watson and you want to see her embody what you think is hopefully the antithesis of her real personality. The second being that you still have that teenage (20-something, middle-aged, whatever) girl inside of you who wants to just surround yourself with pretty and luxurious things in order to feel valuable and admired. Add these two together with the fact that I love Sofia Coppola and there was really no way I wasn’t going to see this movie.

iris van herpen at the high museum

the bling ring

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