‘Haute-à-Porter’ links exclusive fashion with ready-to-wear
As the new exhibition at Hasselt’s fashion museum shows, the lines between ready-to-wear and high-end fashion are becoming increasingly blurred, both in terms of quality and price
From haute couture to prêt-à-porter
No, it’s not the latest Hollywood epic, nor a cosplay convention. It’s just a few of the amazingly creative and eclectic costumes on display in Haute-à-Porter, an exhibition created specifically for the Modemuseum in Hasselt. The brainchild of Cyprian fashion journalist, designer and photographer Filep Motwary, the show investigates the relationship between haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion.
Although the distinction may be lost on the average consumer, haute couture and ready-to-wear have traditionally been regarded as separate aspects of the fashion industry. The former, with its strict guidelines established by a Parisian governing body (Le Chambre Syndicale de Haute Couture) is defined by custom tailoring, one-of-a-kind garments and hours of painstaking handwork. It’s prohibitively expensive and accessible to only a handful of clients: the 1% of the 1%.
Prêt-à-porter, or ready-to-wear, as its name implies, is sold off the rack in multiple sizes to multiple buyers. It has long been considered a lowly alternative to couture. However, as amply demonstrated by the selection of garments in the exhibition, the line between haute couture and ready-to-wear is becoming increasingly blurred, with the result that distinguishing between the two can be difficult – if not pointless.
Timeless fashion
The clothes are grouped into thematic categories based on some of fashion’s most enduring obsessions: the corset, the crinoline, volume, draping, embellishment, history and “the classics” ‒ types of garments that have stood the test of time. Many of the pieces on display could easily illustrate two or more of these themes, and part of the enjoyment of seeing them is noticing the common concerns, different solutions and infinite variation.
The exhibition operates on many levels: as a three-dimensional dissertation on its central premise (a discussion that is continued by fashion insiders and experts in the gorgeous accompanying catalogue), and as a retrospective of fashion’s greatest hits from the last 30 years.
Few of us will ever wear such exquisite creations, but anyone can appreciate them as works of art
It is also a demonstration of the incredible inventiveness, craftsmanship and creativity that goes into creating high fashion. Few of us will ever wear such exquisite creations, but anyone can appreciate them as works of wearable art.
There is another thread running through the exhibition, which includes not just fashion but also photographs, sculpture and taxidermy. The selection of clothes, along with the other works that accompany them, constitute a personal statement by the curator, who worked on the exhibition for three years.
Years in the making
Growing up in Cyprus, Motwary first learned about clothing from his seamstress mother. He studied fashion at university and went on to intern for John Galliano, who was then the head designer for Christian Dior. Throughout his career, Motwary has been a designer, stylist, photographer, blogger and editor, always in the world of high fashion.
For Motwary, in Hasselt for the opening of the exhibition, Haute-à-Porter is the culmination of his professional experience. “Working in fashion for 20 years – photographing, writing, teaching, being a jury member, attending the shows, talking to designers – it’s 20 years of information.” he says. “Theoretical, literal, metaphorical ‒ all of it comes together here.”
The metaphorical dimension is expressed through the use of stuffed wild animals throughout the exhibition. A life-size elephant’s head, a zebra, a peacock and a crocodile, among others, share space with the couture gowns. Motwary invites the visitor to draw comparisons between the animals’ natural adornments and the human need to transform, embellish and augment our natural shape.
All eyes on Hasselt
The exhibition has been getting a lot of attention in the international press, with glowing reviews on several fashion websites. It’s an exciting coup for Hasselt’s fashion museum, a small, regional museum not well known outside of Belgium.
“To be honest, an exhibition like this is usually reserved for big cities like Paris, New York or London, but instead can be seen in Hasselt,” says the museum’s director Kenneth Ramaekers.
An exhibition like this is usually reserved for big cities like Paris, New York, or London
Some of the most iconic or fragile garments are behind glass, but most are not, affording the viewer a rare opportunity to see them up close. A few are instantly recognisable, such as Thierry Mugler’s gold robot suit, or John Galliano’s interpretation of the classic New Look silhouette for Christian Dior.
But surprises abound, from a hooded, egg-shaped dress made from black feathers by Giles, to a transparent bodysuit decorated with tiny wisps of fur by Olivier Theyskens.
For the uninitiated, it’s nearly impossible to tell which garments are couture and which are ready-to-wear. But that’s exactly the point. “The pret-à-porter pieces chosen to be part of this exhibition are all great examples of craft,” says Motwary. “Whether the embroidery or the stitchwork, the feather works or the handwork ‒ it’s all there. These are not garments that one can ignore. Some of them cost as much haute couture pieces, so it’s a good point to ask again – where is the line between them?”
Until 11 September in Fashion Museum Hasselt, Gasthuisstraat 11
Photo courtesy Modemuseum Hasselt
