We had to walk a few blocks after getting off the metro, but it was nice to get a feel of the area. The wide sidewalks were crowded with people speaking different languages and bustling to get somewhere. I love the energy of a city.
We turned a corner and walked another block towards this stone church with a strange and intriguing statue out front. Behold Montréal native David Altmejd's 2011 bronze wonder, The Eye.
After admiring the oddity, we crossed the street and headed into the museum. The entry fee included an exhibition ticket to a couture fashion designer, Thierry Mugler. We figured we would check it out just for fun, and good thing we did because we were blown away.
The first room housed sketches and costumes from a 1985 French theater production of Macbeth, complete with a strange, holographic "performance" going on in the corner. Really set the stage for what was to come.
The next room featured costumes from the 80s, following mermaid themes and grecian shapes, with a few taking after 50s hot rods. Mugler is often described as designing with a futuristic, sci-fi bend, with many costumes having strong, architectural silhouettes. The looks often evoke fantasy, eroticism, the animal kingdom, and Hollywood glamour.
He directed music videos and short films, dabbled in fashion photography, costumed theater shows and Cirque du Soleil, and dressed many famous celebrities such as David Bowie, Beyoncé, James Brown, Lady Gaga, Diana Ross, and Céline Dion.
The next room showcased the 90s era: black & white themed, with faint shadows of lace projected on the starkly-lit white walls, making the black costumes, and the many-faceted details of each, stand out.
As a former professional dancer, Mugler felt right at home with the opulence and theatricality of high-end fashion, becoming the first Western designer to present his catwalk as a fashion spectacular and show event. He sums up this sentiment, "I always felt fashion wasn't sufficient in itself, and that it had to be shown in a musical and theatrical setting."
The next room was my favorite, housing Les Atlantes, Spring/Summer 1989, and 1997's Les Insectes. The curation of the ocean depths and deep, Avatar-like jungle wall projections made the costumes extra effective, and provided a setting for the animal-inspired looks.
The gill-like details and coral reef plant-shaped gauntlets were perfect in their simplicity, staying within Mugler's futuristic theme. Can't you just picture a royal guard in those jumpsuits surrounding a duchess of the court in her ethereal glass and chiffon dress, followed by a host of shimmering fish-scaled handmaidens?
This practical power suit stole the Les Insectes spotlight, reminding me of a twisting kaleidoscope.
The final rooms transitioned into an era where Mugler was inspired by inanimate objects, such as cars and musical instruments, giving the costumes a more robotic, cyber-superhero look. For being something that we stumbled upon, the exhibit ended up being a highlight of the trip.
I think what was most intriguing to me is the fact that these aren't just costumes, but part of an entire imaginary universe. The different collections, particularly in the realm of fantasy and animals, lead into a very specific kind of futuristic society or hidden lands within our own world. It is this transportation and setting for your imagination to take over that makes Mugler's costumes as relevant and avant-garde today as they were in the 80s and 90s.
(photos by e.hunt)
