The Skin+Bones exhibition has been beckoning since its opening on the 24th April boasting an exploration of “Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture”. Ever keen to display our shallower side the main reason we hadn’t visited was the simple fact of a rather weak looking title font. But an aimless stroll through the heart of London on Saturday led us past the doors of Somerset House. Following a debate on the wisdom of spending 24 pounds (for 3) on an exhibit which was tidily concluded by inquiring passing/exiting students the value-for-money question we decided to give it a shot.
As with so many exhibitions eager to validate fashion’s mission with a conceptual or artistic context Skin+Bones plunders the 80’s and 90’s with nostalgic thumb-sucking glee (and, with a few exceptions, even the post-millennial samples are contributions from designers who made their names in that era). So the usual suspects are rolled out; Alexander McQueen, Boudicca, Vexed Generation, Viktor&Rolf, Vivienne Westwood, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme Des Garcons and of course the Godfather of architectonic haberdashery Hussein Chalayan. We were sensitive to this point for a few reasons:
Firstly it would have been nice to see some of our contemporaries represented, Gareth Pugh for example or a menswear designer we have recently taken a shine to, Aitor Throup. Even some of Marios Schwab’s work could have sat comfortably here rather than relying exclusively on the safe staple of former glories.
Secondly it highlighted a topic of conversation that has been appearing with considerable regularity, that is what has happened to contemporary conceptual design? Even academics seem strangely reticent to abandon the rich fodder of the 90’s by making any kind of comment on the current climate. Does conceptual design even have a place any more? And can fashion design be conceptual without constantly referring to that golden age?
We should point out here that this exhibition makes no claim to be displaying conceptual design. It is quite simply drawing a parallel between architectural and sartorial use of space, material (be it steel or satin) and the manipulation of planes to create volume.
For Aganovich the future of conceptual design lies in the stitch. But only time will tell if we are right.
Musings and reservations aside this is an awe-inspiring and privileged exhibition. To see up close the work of such accomplished designers is enough to make you weep. Whether it’s the rustic philosophy of Margiela, the clumsy eloquence of Kawakubo, the swashbuckling economy of Yamamoto, the infantile genius of Viktor&Rolf or the historical bulimia of McQueen, to see the work and vision of a great designer is a deeply humbling experience and Skin+Bones delivers humility in spades.
Oh, and there’s some nice architecture too.