Brooklyn Museum paid tribute to visionary French fashion designer and Renaissance man Thierry Mugler with a well-deserved retrospective entitled Couturissime. Mugler who died earlier this year left an indelible mark as one of the most innovative fashion designers of the last century. Notably, he was among the first prominent designers to embrace diversity by featuring black and trans models in his groundbreaking runway shows.
The retrospective, (which opened Friday, November 18th), occupies the 5th floor of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery. The exhibition unfolds across several rooms, unveiling Mugler’s audacious aesthetic—marked by its bold, theatrical, flamboyant, and defiant style. Mugler’s wearable artistry emerged from unconventional materials, such as latex, vinyl, plexiglass, rubber, chrome, and various embellishments.
On display were Mugler’s masterful and creative collections that graced the bodies of iconic figures like Madonna, Beyoncé, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Cardi B, Bella Hadid, Lady Gaga, and Kim Kardashian, among others. The exhibition also featured his storybook sketches and costume designs from the stage production of ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ and a captivating 4D installation of Macbeth by artist Michel Lemieux. The exhibition explored Mugler’s directorial role in George Michael’s “Too Funky” music video. His influential fragrances, including the iconic Angel perfume introduced in the early ’90s were also displayed.
Displayed on the fifth floor walls were an array of framed photographs by renowned fashion photographers David LaChapelle, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Lillian Bassman, Guy Bourdin, Sarah Moon, Pierre et Giles, Ellen von Unwerth, and Mugler himself. These captivating images featured supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Pat Cleveland, Iman, Jerry Hall, and Christy Turlington, who adorned Mugler’s unique designs in various fashion shoots and locations.
The Fashion Sizzle team thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular designs of Thierry Mugler—a designer whose progressive fashion creations elevated and modernized the runway. A must-see for fashion enthusiasts, the exhibition will conclude its run on Sunday, May 7th, 2023.
