Making A Statement
A spectrum of garments greet you at the entrance to Statement Sleeves.
Dolman, drop, cape or batwing: Sleeves have been a revelatory element of fashion’s history since the Middle Ages and they continue to captivate – just conjure, for a moment, the voluminous sleeves devised by costume designer Holly Waddington for the film Poor Things. Sleeves can protrude stiffly or float in the wind, or – in the case of one especially over-the-top dress featuring bound sleeves designed by Tom Ford in for the Spring 2013 season – create an unforgettably subversive and graphic silhouette similar to a peace sign. But for all their visual power, it’s not often a detail this specific gets tapped for a singular museum exhibition.
That’s what makes Statement Sleeves, the current exhibition in the Fashion and Textile History Gallery at The Museum at FIT, so special. It gives sartorial snaps where they’re due by exploring the ways in which this design detail has dictated and responded to the evolving moments en vogue and beyond. For example, a cheery checkered multi-coloured dress circa 1970 by Pauline Trigère – featuring magnificent bias cut hanging sleeves – takes up space beside other beautiful historical and anonymous works, as well as a contemporary example of stunning, thickly fringed sleeves done by Christopher John Rogers (see below).
Sheer and split sleeve examples throughout the decades. From left to right: ballgown, circa 1830; jacket by Comme des Garçons, fall 1997; hostess gown, circa 1931; ensemble by Louis Vuitton, spring 2011; dress by Pauline Trigère, circa 1970; dress by Christopher John Rogers, 2021.
But let’s go back briefly to Trigère’s triumph. Adding a futuristic twist to the display, curator of costume and accessories at the Museum, Colleen Hill, asked designer and professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Larissa Shirley King, to develop a 3D reconstruction of what the dress would look like in movement. Here, we see an institution maximizing its collection through novel and interactive elements, and it was much appreciated.
There are almost 80 looks that are part of Statement Sleeves, from Givenchy’s Bettina Blouse to an arm’s length of feathers flocked together by Marc Bohan during his time at Christian Dior (see below). Hill was kind enough to guide me through the show during my recent jaunt to New York – subscribe to the Opaloma newsletter to hear more about the trip, including a dispensary recommendation and a hot tip for when you’re dining in Soho solo.
The show’s notes explain that the “exhibition highlights how sleeves serve as a vital mode of self-expression that reflects our gestures and movements, showcases their ability to indicate specific fashion eras and their related trends, and proclaims their role as signifiers of status, taste, and personality.”
Statement Sleeves starts with a rainbow’d rack of clothing from various eras – each juicily-hued and splendidly sleeved to make for quite an impactful entrance; the immediate impulse to reach out and fondle each fold and flutter was real.
The show, Hill explains, “looks at fashion through the lens of sleeves”, presenting an array of design gestures that include iconic items by Madame Grès, Thierry Mugler, Stephen Burrows and Courrèges alongside the work of today’s creatives like Jun Takahashi of Undercover. A pair of delicate mis-matched detachable sleeves by the brand are part of the show’s “Performance & Purpose” section. Also highlighted within that portion of the show is the work of Lucy Jones, who “focuses on ease of wear, creating specially shaped and detachable sleeves intended for wheelchair users and people of diverse abilities.”
The three pieces above were my favourites from the show – a delightful dress by Rudi Gernreich (left); a fun asymmetrically striped frock by Stephen Burrows (middle); and the aforementioned confectionary cocktail number by Marc Bohan (right). Hill made me squeal when she revealed there are matching trousers to go with that Gernreich-designed garment in that same tiered cream fabric. So Pierrot!
There are several designs by Gernreich in this show, which is a treat; it’s also nice to see a dress by buzzy designer LaQuan Smith design amongst the cache of marquee names. And Hill’s enthusiasm for the subject is palpable with every puff and ruffle finally feeling the embrace it deserves.
A portion of the "Performance & Purpose" section, featuring garments with detached sleeves. From left to right: evening gown by Balenciaga, circa 1950; sleeves by Undercover, spring 2005; jumpsuit by Rudi Gernreich, fall 1968.
Statement Sleeves runs until Saturday, August 25th at The Museum at FIT.
