Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations

After the heat from the Met Ball died down, Julianna approached me and invited me to check out the incredible exhibit behind this crazy event, "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations," honoring two of the most legendary female fashion designers of our time curated by Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton of the Costume Institute.

The exhibit focuses on a fictional conversation between both women discussing their unique design styles and the similarities and differences between their lives and designs. When you first enter the exhibit, you are met with a large projection of their "Impossible Conversation," where the women are sitting at a table across from one another having a casual conversation about one-another's work.

Schiaparelli (played by actress Judy Davis,) mentions that society women in her era were always seen from the waist up - because of this, she chose to focus on accenting this part of the body. "Waist Up, Waist Down," the first part of the exhibit, walks you through her elaborate jackets, neck trimmings, and hats, all made to accentuate the upper half. This is quite the opposite of Mrs. Prada, who began designing at the time of women's sexual revolution. For her, it was all about the legs. Since day 1, Prada has been known as a brand that produces incredible skirts and shoes. Her most incredible designs for the bottom half are displayed right next to Schiaparelli's tops, obviously contrasting the focus of their designs.

You are then lead into the second installation which discusses specific themes both women worked with throughout their careers. The first theme, "Hard Chic," is a compilation of each designer's vision of sleek, dark, and sophisticated looks.

This transitions into "Naïf Chic," a completely opposite theme from the above that includes whimsical and childlike designs. Several of Mrs. Prada's pieces are littered with drawings of circus animals and tropical fruits, as she explains, “I never thought people would want to wear clothes with monkeys and bananas on them. It gave me great insight into people, into how willing people are to put themselves out there. Fashion is an incredible tool for understanding people, for understanding the world.”

Finally, you transcend into "Ugly Chic," where patterns and non-traditional silhouettes explode into your line of vision and the women discuss their desire to escape the typical "avant-garde" fashion realm within this theme.

The final area of the exhibit displays some of the most influential pieces from each designer as well as an array of photographs and articles of the incredible figures donning their designs. It is clear to see that both of these women created works of art above anything else. The vision behind each piece reflects so much detail and effort that it is unnerving to see how much creativity these women are harboring.

At the end of the exhibit, you come to realize that both of these women shared an incredible similarity in their eye for fashion and design. They took their visions and created entire movements within their respective eras that challenged the typical laws of fashion and solidified the foundations for trends that are used again and again in the present.

Being that Mrs. Prada still has a long and healthy career to continue, I am incredibly excited to see how her work continues to influence the fashion world from the members of Couture Society all the way down to the Average Joe.