Photo: (L.) Wedding ensemble, Karl Lagerfeld (French, born Hamburg, 1938) for House of Chanel (French, founded 1913), autumn/winter 2014–15 haute couture, back view; Courtesy of CHANEL Patrimoine Collection. (R). Evening dress, Yves Saint Laurent (French, 1936-2008), autumn/winter 1969–70 haute couture; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, 1983 (1983.619.1a, b).
A century ago, Coco Chanel established her house at 31 rue Cambon in Paris. Among other items she carried was the classic women’s suit, one that has become an emblem of the designer herself. Crisp, cool, and confident, the Chanel suit as an emblem of modernity, of woman liberated, and of the possibility for anyone to rise to the highest echelons of society.
Also: Exhibit | Kenneth Paul Block: Illustrations
And it is for this reason that it is continuously recreated for the age in which we live. With that in mind Karl Lagerfeld decided to bring it fully up to speed for autumn/winter 2015–2016 Haute Couture, creating a 3-D printed (SLS) suit made of white polyamide overlap, hand-stitched crystals, and hand-embroidered by Lesage with gold synthetic sequins on black silk crepe de chine. Both suits can be seen in Manus X Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology, on view at The Met Fifth Avenue, now through September 5, 216, and in the accompanying catalogue of the same name by Andrew Bolton (Yale University Press).
Suit, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (French, 1883– 1971), 1963–68 haute couture; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Lyn Revson, 1975 (1975.53.7a–e).
As Lagerfeld tells Bolton, “My idea was to take the most iconic suit of the twentieth century and make a twenty-first century version, which, technically, was impossible and unimaginable in the period it was invented. I wanted to change that, update it by using the newest and most advanced technology. You know he jacket is one piece. There is no sewing. No stitches. No seams…. They did sell. And they were very expensive. The white suit cost 300,000 euros. That suit is very interesting. It was 3-D printed to look like quilting, but the braining and underlayer, which is visible through the quilting, were hand embroidered with gold paillettes… It’s the perfect marriage of the hand and the machine.”
Ensemble, Karl Lagerfeld (French, born Hamburg, 1938) for House of Chanel (French, founded 1913), autumn/winter 2015–2016 haute couture; Courtesy of CHANEL Patrimoine Collection.
Lagerfeld’s words speak to the spirit of Manus X Machina (“Hand X Machine”). It is the ethos of the now. Technology has produced a revolution that affects every aspect of our lives. From food production to communications, not one stitch of life has been ignored, including one of the most intimate forms: the fashion world. Manus X Machina traces the evolution of design from the founding of the haute couture through the onset of industrialization and mass production to the present day practices of laser cutting and computer-generated weaving and patterns are used in high fashion.
Featuring 90 pieces, Manus X Machina brilliantly traces the history between hand and machine with contributions from Charles James, Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli, House of Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Paco Rabanne, Halston, Mary McFadden, Alexander McQueen, Miyake Design Studio, Junya Watanbe, Hussein Chalayan, and Iris Van Herpen, among others.
Ensemble, Iris van Herpen (Dutch, born 1984), spring/summer 2010 haute couture; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2015 (2016.16a, b).
The book is a beauty to behold. A large format paperback with a plastic jacket to protect its precious interior, Manux x Machina is an object of art unto itself. With silvery mylar inserts, vellum overlays, silver ink, and four color plates, the book is adds a highly tactile experience to the traditional illustrated book, reminding us of the power of hand and machine to work together as one.
All photos: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo © Nicholas Alan Cope.
Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer, curator, and brand strategist. There is nothing she adores so much as photography and books. A small part of her wishes she had a proper library, like in the game of Clue. Then she could blaze and write soliloquies to her in and out of print loves.
