Feathery fashion on view in new MoMu exhibition

The exhibition Birds of Paradise: Plumes & Feathers in Fashion at MoMu is full of interesting historical digressions such as that, but of course the main focus is the fashion on display in cages (naturally!) of glass. All the great designers and fashion houses are present, from Chanel to Balenciaga to Prada. One of the great showpieces of the collection is an impressive bird-of-paradise couture gown by French designer Thierry Mugler, and there is a considerable section that recounts Yves Saint Laurent’s vision of the feather as a symbol for emancipation.

But let’s not forget the locals. Dries Van Noten donated several pieces to the exhibition, and an entire room is devoted to Flanders’ queen of the feather, Ann Demeulemeester, including the dramatic stage outfits she created for British singer PJ Harvey.

Apart from the beauty and refinement of both the feather-light couture and ready-to-wear, the various guises of the material are what is really striking about the exhibition. The feather may have started out as a sign of riches, decadence, and even debauchery – showgirl references are never far off – but gradually, it evolved into a symbol of freedom and spirituality.

Mugler’s femme fatale in feathers, a pleasure to the male gaze, becomes Saint Laurent’s femme mystère, mysterious and powerful. At the end of the evolution, there is Demeulemeester’s bird-like heroine and the slightly discomforting work of British artist Kate McGuire, which includes a giant umbilical cord made entirely of pitch-black crow feathers.

Birds of Paradise makes it clear that the role of feathers in fashion should not, ahem, be taken lightly.

Until 24 August at MoMu, Antwerp
www.momu.be

Photo by Francois Nars