Sometimes, 9,500 square feet of gallery space isn’t quite enough.
Such is the case with “Fashion Nirvana: Runway to Everyday,” the first big exhibit of the new year at the McNay Art Museum. The show delves into ’90s fashion as art, an idea that is underscored in part by having a handful of pieces displayed in other galleries.
“The exhibit is actually migrating throughout the museum to re-enforce the tie between fashion and the visual arts,” said Rich Aste, the museum’s director and CEO.
That idea was sparked in part by the desire to create a conversation between a resplendent Kehinde Wiley portrait currently on exhibit and a short, studded sheath designed by Corpus Christi native Todd Oldham, said Kate Carey, one of the curators who worked on the show and head of the McNay’s education department.
“We had talked about moving (the portrait) into this space, but the painting works so well where it is, … so we decided to move some of the garments into the permanent collection,” Carey said. “It’s partly to entice people into the special exhibition, but also, ultimately, to underscore the thesis that fashion is art.”
Visitors will also find a red Carmen Marc Valvo evening dress and a Giorgio Armani bubble shirt and skirt on display beyond the main exhibition.
While fashion has long had a home at institutions such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, this is the McNay’s first exhibit focused on the subject.
For the show, the main gallery of the Jane and Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions has been painted black, and dramatic lighting has been installed to make the colors in the clothing pop.
Among the most arresting pieces are an Oscar de la Renta ensemble including a jacket of ostrich feathers dyed red; a lamé suit and lacy bodysuit designed by Gianfranco Ferré; and Isaac Mizrahi’s “Desert Storm,” a flowing silk gown in desert camouflage.
“Some people think this is a commentary on (Operation) Desert Storm — it was made in 1991 — but he talked about the fact that the U.S. Army had to create a new type of camouflage for that,” Carey said. “He loved the creativity, and it’s a bit of an homage to that.”
The Mizrahi was borrowed from the designer himself, who will be the guest of honor at a luncheon at the museum May 7. He will be interviewed by fashion expert Michael Quintanilla, a retired Express-News writer.
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The idea of art-as-fashion also is underscored by the works on display in the adjoining sculpture gallery, where clothing is displayed beside works of art from the McNay’s collection that share similar color palettes.
One section focuses on black-and-white clothes — including a crystal-laden black-and-white gown by Bill Blass and a slinky black evening dress by Patricia Rhodes — displayed alongside Madeline O’Connor’s 1998 “Cross/Plus” array, Lesley Dill’s 1995 “Vision Catcher” and Daniel Oates’ enormous 1993 neoprene and wood “Boots.”
The other half of the sculpture gallery draws more colorful connections: An Oldham cocktail dress and skirt made from brightly colored silk ribbons seemingly woven together stands beside Thomas Locher’s 1991 work “1-25,” a square panel featuring 25 boxes in various colors; and a brightly patterned Christian Lacroix suit is shown near a similarly intense 1994-95 acrylic on canvas by James Pernotto titled “P.O.P. Poet of Papier (For Joe).”
A lot of the clothing in the show came from the Texas Fashion Collection of the University of North Texas. That’s where the idea to zero in on the ’90s was born, said Lauren Thompson, an assistant curator who was part of the curatorial team.
“In looking through their collection, some of the garments that we felt really passionate about and were really excited about were from the ’90s,” Thompson said. “And we learned that they had never done a ’90s-focused exhibition using materials from their collection, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to do that here.”
One of the pieces they were particularly excited to spotlight is a racy black garment designed by Gianni Versace that is seemingly held together by safety pins. It’s a version of the gown that Elizabeth Hurley wore to much acclaim to the premiere of the movie “Four Weddings and a Funeral.”
“The dress was called ‘That Dress’ — it was one of the most-searched dresses online,” Thompson said. “And so it’s really an iconic look from the 1990s. This one we borrowed from the Phoenix Art Museum, and we are just thrilled to be able to include it in the exhibition.”
The concept also lent itself to an exploration of another art form: video. Pieces by a range of artists are projected on the walls of the gallery, lending an additional visual element and amping up the “this is not your father’s art museum” vibe. (The ’90s soundscape in the gallery and the runway and the photo studio space where visitors can strike selfie-worthy poses also contribute to that feeling.) Those who want to be more fully immersed in the videos can use headphones to listen to the audio.
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“Once we landed on the ’90s, that’s when we decided to focus on video art, because it was a period when video became more accessible, a lot of the equipment that you need to produce videos was a lot cheaper,” Thompson said. “And so you have a lot of artists who are starting to delve into making these experimental art videos and a lot of them are commenting on the music of the time, fashion, pop culture, and you see that in the clothing, as well. So we thought there was a really beautiful union there.”
Most of the videos can be dipped into at any time, Carey said. The exception is San Antonio-based filmmaker Jim Mendiola’s 33-minute short film “Pretty Vacant,” which follows a female punk rocker as she digs into what she believes to be a part of music history for her zine.
The other videos include “5 Minute Break,” an animated short by Kristin Lucas in which a woman wanders around the subbasement of the World Trade Center, based on a tour Lucas took with a man who later died in the 9/11 terror attack; “Tunic (Song for Karen),” a Sonic Yough video made by Tony Oursler inspired by the death of singer Karen Carpenter from anorexia nervosa; and an untitled film made by John Sanborn and Mary Perillo spotlighting dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones performing a powerful piece in memory of his partner Arnie Zane, who died from AIDS.
Each piece in the show is accompanied by signage that is designed to resemble a page from a fashion magazine. There are photos accompanying the information on the outfits — for instance, the safety pin dress sign includes one of the many images of Hurley. A handful of the signs include photos of philanthropist/fashionista Mercedes T. Bass, a sponsor of the exhibit, wearing the very dress on the mannequin.
One of Aste’s favorite ensembles in the show is a white silk chiffon and tulle gown by Oscar de la Renta that Bass wore to a Metropolitan Opera opening.
“I had the privilege of speaking with her, and she took me back to the moment when she went to that opening,” Aste said. “Not only did she wear Oscar de la Renta, but her date was Oscar de la Renta. She was very loyal to him in that part of her life, and so 15 of the dresses here are on loan from what was once her private collection, many of them by Oscar de la Renta.
“She believes firmly that fashion is art, and is delighted that museums are leaning into that.”
dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
“Fashion Nirvana: Runway to Everyday” opens Thursday and can be seen through May 17 at the McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels. Admission ranges from $10 to $20. It is free for McNay members, children 12 and under, active duty miltary and recipients of SNAP, WIC AND MAP. Admission to the museum is free to everyone from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and noon to 5 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month; during those periods, admission to “Fashion Nirvana” costs $10. For more information, visit
mcnayart.org
or call 210-824-5368 for more information.
The luncheon with Isaac Mizrahi is at 11:30 a.m. May 7. Tickets cost $350 per person and $3,500 or $5,000 for tables of eight. Visit
mcnayart.org/luncheon
for tickets and more information.
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