INSPIRATION: HEAVENLY BODIES, FASHION AND THE CATHOLIC IMAGINATION

While many in the fashion world will be spending the next month going from one fashion week to another, for those of us not following the pack onwards to Europe, there’s one more month to enjoy ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion And The Catholic Imagination’ at the Met (until October 8th, 2018), which brings together some of the Met’s finest medieval treasures and exquisite haute couture. 

This glorious exhibition has been the most successful one ever put together by the Costume Institute at the Met and on August 23rd, they announced that they had had over one million visitors. It is yet to surpass the number of visitors that saw the Tutankhamun exhibition in 1978 and the Mona Lisa in 1963 but there’s still another month and repeat visitors are likely given just how extraordinary this exhibition is.

Curated by Andrew Bolton of the Costume Institute, it presents a dialogue between fashion and medieval art from the Met’s own collection as a means to examine fashion’s involvement / engagement with the rituals and practices associated with Catholicism. Simply put, it’s about the the way the Catholic church has inspired some of the most important fashion designers including Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Schiarapelli, Christian Lacroix and some of those working today like Raf Simmons and Dolce & Gabbana. 

From left to right clockwise Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano, Thierry Mugler, Christian Lacroix Christian Lacroix (again), John Galliano and Alexander McQueen

This ‘dialogue’ is brought to life over 60,000 square feet of gallery space in the Byzantine and medieval galleries at the Met and also at the Met Cloisters and cleverly marries medieval art and  artefacts from the museum’s collection with an incredible collection of haute couture from designers including Dolce & Gabbana, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Dior, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and Rodarte as well as papal robes and sacristy garments on loan by the Vatican from the Sistine Chapel Sacristry, some of which are being seen outside the Vatican for the very first time. 

Throughout the exhibition the influence of Catholic symbolism and imagery on the designers is apparent in many of the extravagant creations on display - from the overt influence seen in Dolce  & Gabbana, John Galliano and Balenciaga (a very devout Catholic who considered becoming a priest) amongst others to the more subtle references in the splendid Rodarte evening wear. Almost all of the designers in the exhibition were or are Catholics and whilst you will see their designs amongst medieval stained glass and art, you won’t see them next to any papal robes as a condition of the items loaned by the Vatican was that they should be displayed separately, clearly making a distinction between the religious and the secular garments on show. 

Prepare to be stunned by what you will see as this Met exhibition has achieved the perfect marriage of content and context - exquisite fashion both sacred and secular,  displayed amongst medieval art and artefacts in two spectacular settings. Truly, Heavenly Bodies cannot be missed

Gowns all by Rodarte