Dressed-up in Art
Considering costume as concept and sculpture outside the boundaries of fashion
When does something intended to be worn transition from being simply a practical garment, transcend fashion, and become art?
It’s that time of year when even boring people will consider dressing up in weird and wonderful costumes to parade in public. It’s a Halloween tradition to wear something scary inspired by local folklore or lifted from the horror genre of mainstream media. Though, in the USA, that brief has been largely forgotten and simply wearing a statement outfit will do— outrageous, funny, sexy, surprising…
Communities the world over indulge in similar winter activities. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead festivals are much brighter and even more ostentatious events where people wear elaborate, colourful death-themed costumes, dance, celebrate their ancestors, and exchange sugar skulls. These, and similar age-old traditions, offer a degree of creative self-expression, drawing upon cultural heritage, reworking its signifiers for a contemporary context — which starts to sound like some definitions of art. Indeed, much of the related regalia certainly falls within definitions of Folk Art.
Some truly innovative fashion designers operate within the realm of art, drawing formal inspiration from sculpture…
