The best fashion designers out there are truly artists in their own rights
McQueen was quite possibly the ultimate fashion showman. “McQueen was certainly exceptional,” agrees Browne. “I think the best designers all have something to say but they don’t necessarily follow a narrative approach like Lee did. Galliano certainly spun wild tales in his day. All of his collections had elaborate narratives driving them. But I think in this day and age, it’s more the Hood By Airs or the Vetements that are making the statements with their clothes and their casting. They are less interested in telling fairy tales than showing you the world as it exists.” So with reality taking precedence over fantasy, is it possible that we will see an increase in shows like Tara Subkoff’s 2013 spring presentation for Imitation of Christ? Entitled This is Not a Fashion Show, the designer staged the so-called experiment in New York’s Bortolami Gallery and the focus was on women of all shapes and sizes (tall and lanky, short and stocky) and ranging in age from eight to 70, accompanied by a video by artist Vanessa Beecroft that explored themes of beauty and self-esteem. Collaborations like this, where art and fashion cross over, have become somewhat common and acted as the basis for some of fashion’s most memorable showcases. For Browne, the Marina Abramovic/Givenchy collaboration was one of the most successful to date. As she puts it, “Honestly, the best fashion designers out there are truly artists in their own rights. They just don’t always get the credit for it, because their chosen medium happens to be fashion.” And while not quite a dying art, fashion is clearly evolving. Somewhere between well-trod catwalks, leggy models and an army of makeup artists, fashion weeks the world over are embracing the challenge of presenting more tangible showcases to an international audience, all topped with a healthy dollop of entertainment. 53