Wild show brings out the animal in fashion

By Seattle Times news services

ZACK SECKLER / AP Fashions made from ostrich feathers are included in a new exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Wild: Fashion Untamed," which opens today.

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NEW YORK — Fur may fly at the newest exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Museum officials are braced for controversy over "Wild: Fashion Untamed," an exhibit of fashion's use of fur and feathers that opens this week with such graphic items as a jaguar's-head purse and a hat adorned with stuffed parakeets.

The exhibit traces how clothing made with animal skins, furs and animal-print fabrics have influenced fashion since women began stenciling leopard spots onto their unbleached linen sheaths in ancient Egypt.

Over the centuries, men and women embraced animal-inspired styles, especially as a sign of wealth, said curator Andrew Bolton. Women also have worn such garments to portray themselves as hunters and predators, coquettes and femmes fatales.

"It's been with us since the beginning of couture," he said.

There's something innately sexy about felines ("Wild" features the black-leather second skin that actress Michelle Pfeiffer wore in "Batman Returns"), and there's an intimate association between fur and fetishism, Bolton said.

Garments embellished with feathers in white or pastels, such as the beige silk organdy dress covered with rooster and bird-of-paradise feathers by Yves Saint Laurent from 1969, send a more subtle message because the light colors and softness of the look suggest innocence while the animation of the feathers is a tease.

Despite all the show's skins and skulls, the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) opted against its well-known protest tactics and decided to work with the museum to help promote its message.

"It very much signals a change in the way we [are] trying to change fashion from within the industry rather than from the outside," said PETA spokesman Michael McGraw. "We're hoping that by presenting both sides of the issue, people will come away from the exhibit realizing sensibilities have changed in modern times and there's no reason to continue wearing fur and other animal skins."

Organized opposition to the use of animals dates as far back as 14th-century sumptuary laws that restricted forms of dress to curb extravagance and preserve class distinctions, Bolton said.
 
"Just by the emotive nature of the use of these materials, it's always been controversial," he said.

The last decade has seen an upsurge in part due to the hip-hop movement, which broadened fur's appeal among younger wearers, he said. Among the items on exhibit is Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' blinding white, full-length fox coat.

Among the show's most arresting items are a crocodile headpiece and jaguar coat by design house Christian Dior, knotted leather skins by Jean Paul Gaultier, a pink ostrich dress by Roberto Cavalli, who sponsored the exhibit, and a Prada dress for next spring made of peacock feathers.

"Wild" is arranged thematically and by material; the first piece is the whip-stitched bikini made of leather and shearling that was inspired by Raquel Welch's outfit in 1966's "One Million Years B.C." A company called Lost Art created the new version for supermodel Heidi Klum.

A frock-style coat from the 19th century shows that American Indians were taking some fashion cues from Europe while using indigenous materials, such as chamois leather.

A similar blending of classic tailoring with soft, buttery leathers re-emerged in the 1960s, with Giorgio di Sant'Angelo creating micro-miniskirts with beads and tassels.

By the 18th century, the fashion elite were juxtaposing delicate floral patterns and feminine belle epoch silhouettes with cinched waists and exaggerated hips with the edginess of leopard spots.

A 1997 example of a Jean Paul Gaultier gown with leopard-print embroidery by Francois Lesage shows the unusual combination still resonates.

Head-to-toe zebra outfits called "the total look" were popularized by men in the 18th century. The total look was worn again in the 1960s, when Mod designers such as Rudi Gernreich — known for the topless swimsuit — did versions highlighting gentle animals such as giraffes, Dalmatians and cows.

"Wild" will be on view through March 13.