(IMO) The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion

On Wednesday morning the MET opened its doors to a throng of people itching to see the Costume Institute's latest exhibit: Model As Muse. The exhibit, sponsored by the magnanimous Marc Jacobs and Condé Nast, and curated by fashion scholars Harold Koda and Kohle Yohannan, has been crowed ever since, and this morning I made my grand entrance... jaw firmly dropped to floor.

The exhibit explores multiple mediums to relay the beauty, relevance, and influence that iconic models of the last 50 years have had on the societies that adored them. Examining major players in the profession from 1947 - 1997, the MET used fashion's most famous photography; panel displays of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Time Magazine from every era; stunning mannequin installations designed with help from multi-medium artist Julien d'Ys; and video clips such as William Klein’s “Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo?” staring it-girl of the 60s Dorothy McGowan.

For lovers of fashion, beauty, and the illustrious world of modeling, this exhibit will be an obvious destination. But for those who have long despised the exclusive and overly airbrushed inner circle, the exhibit may serve to offer you a different perspective. As much as the Costume Institute seeks to glorify supermodels in all their envied perfection, it also reaches to explain the hugely influential impact theses woman have had on their respective decades... indeed, across decades for those captivating enough to mesmerize, multiple generations. Can we say "The Trinity"?

Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford in Giorgio di Sant'Angelo
Photographed for Vogue British, January 1990 by Peter Lindbergh
image courtesy of the MET

Take, for instance, the explanation proffered by Harold Koda,

"We look at the power of clothing, fashion photography, and the model to project the look of an era. With a mere gesture, a truly stellar model can sum up the attitude of her time – becoming not only a muse to designers or photographers, but a muse to a generation."

- Harold Koda

If you are having a hard time imagining a woman who could hold this sort of power...especially one as supposedly vapid as a supermodel... just think of Twiggy and Kate Moss, two women who were initially dismissed by the world of fashion for their various "flaws", and who have since become house hold names worldwide. Their success has launched them to an elevated platform, and these two, undoubtedly savvy business women, have gone on to take much broader roles in their profession, and in our lives. When Twiggy landed on North American soil for the first time she was greeted with presidential grandeur. From the first, people coveted her look, and now in retrospect, we can clearly see the divide where a new era began with her arrival. Although admittedly a smaller scale, was it so different an atmosphere when hundreds of men and women lined up for Kate Moss' symbolic cutting of the Topshop ribbon last month in New York? These are obviously women whose presence means something to us.

Twiggy in Yves Saint Laurent Photographed for Vogue, 1967 by Bert Stern
and Kate Moss Photographed by Peter Lindbergh

Models have served to altogether change the fashionable silhouette, as was with Dorian Leigh, Dovima, and Suzy Parker for Dior's "New Look" in 1947. Curved shoulders and exposed clavicles introduced a brand new era for fashion.

Dovima with the elephants in Dior
Photographed for Harper's Bazaar, September 1955 by Richard Avedon

Models have altogether altered the aesthetic of beauty, redefining what we perceive to be beautiful and ushering in an increasingly global understanding of beauty. Donyale Luna was the first black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue in 1964.

Donyale Luna in Paco Rabanne
Photographed for Vogue, 1966 by Guy Bourdin

Models such as Lisa Taylor and Rene Russon, and Christy Brinkely heralded the proclamation of progressive social politics for women during the 70s in the wake of the Vietnam War and throughout a financial recession that haunted the decade.

Lisa Taylor in Calvin Klein
Photographed for Vogue, May 1975 by Helmut Newton

And finally we had the Supermodels: the women who are lauded as much for their "pronounced individuality", as for their stunning physical features. These women lived, and do live, strong public lives that epitomized the dreams and fantasies of the 80s. Naomi, Christy, Linda, Kate, and a handful of select others lived lives, at least in print and on the catwalk, that left a distinct impression on the psyche of more than one generation.

Christy Turlington & Linda Evangelista in Karl Lagerfeld
Photographed for Vogue, April 1990 by Patrck Demarchelier

The power and influence of the model-set has ebbed and flowed throughout history. At times they have reached meteoric heights, and during others they have been all but eclipsed by the celebrity of Hollywood. But these women are an integral part of the history, and the future, of a multi-billion dollar industry loved by many. Their place in Fashion deserves to be commemorated, and the partnerships that have brought this exhibit to life have done an model job.

Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion is on display at the MET from now through August 9, 2009.