Fashion & Interiors. A Gendered Affair

A photograph of the Anonymous Women series by Patty Carrol receives us at the opening of MoMu's brand new exhibition. This image, where the excess of fabrics from what seems to be curtains covers not only the room where they are placed but also an armchair and the woman that sits on it, illustrates how the first part of the common history between fashion and interior looked from a gender perspective. In the past, women were meant to be at home, to not only permanently inhabit the space but almost to become part of it, to blend their dresses, their patterns and silhouettes with the ones of the curtains, lamps and bedding. The excess of fabrics of the period dresses made their wearer turn into almost a piece of mobiliary, a mere object of decoration that was meant to look pretty and serve its owner. The mindset of the time is reflected in the materiality of the object, fabrics and fashion of the period. Upon closer reflection, the dress and the curtains share fabrics, the dress and the lamps share draping techniques, and the dress and the furniture share structure and shape.

This is the story that the first part of the exhibition tells us through period garments extracted from the MoMu archives, paintings that correspond to the same era and modern artwork like Carroll's series. A reality very apparent when presented like this, but not so mentioned in history books. As times evolved, necessities changed, women started to slowly liberate themselves from the invisible chains of oppression, and interior and fashion started to also slowly acquire a life of their own, but the bond has never been completely broken. 

Homes started to be understood and perceived as a place for comfort around the 19th century, and that safe haven, often associated with soft textures, fluffy bedding and calming colours, was highly appreciated during turbulent times, a notion that we can perfectly understand in the 21st century, where almost every day staying in bed seems like a better idea than facing the harshness of the world. For this, designers and creators have learnt to adapt this unique and homely sense of comfort to the garments so that we can feel a slight hint of safety on the outside of our cocoons.

The exhibition presents pieces by Martin Margiela, Walter Van Beirendonck or Viktor & Rolf where not only the form but the function is directly inspired by home elements, allowing us to wear our space and to carry it wherever we desire to. The most representative, influential and culturally impactful piece from this "wearing the home" idea is present in the exhibition as the centrepiece that encompasses the whole idea of this narrative. The table, the armchairs and their covers from Hussein Chalayan's Fall/Winter 2001 collection redefined what could be considered as garments, suppressing the already blurry line between fashion and interior and combining aesthetics with precision and technique to create one of the most remembered and praised performances of fashion.

The world of design per se holds an immense history that is as vast as it is interesting. From the period of the Arts & Crafts movement and the avid conceptual and stylistic battle between the idealism of William Morris and the materialism of Adolf Loos to Henry Van de Velde's obsession with creating a Total Work of Art, the highly productive Wiener Werkstätte and the implication of women or Mies van der Rohe's numerous contributions, and the very thin veil of doubt that hides the fact that many of his most praised works should actually be attributed to his then partner, designer Lilly Reich, just one of countless moments where men take credit for women's ideas. The curation of pieces, letters, and original objects and the chronological order are carefully thought out for the viewer to understand it, not only its theoretical implications but also its unexpected connections and the human element behind the craft, where the creator's particular and strong characters always end up being reflected in their pieces as well as adding a hint of drama and spectacle to the story.

This idea of interiors looking a certain way being the cause and consequence of who inhabits them can be clearly seen in the houses and personal spaces of the most well-known fashion designers, and an insightful collection of personal photographs is shown in a digital way, revealing how the homes of figures like Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld or Alessandro Michele look, proving how a picture is worth more than words and how just by looking at how their living room looks, we can understand why they create the garments they create. Another example of this is what once was Ann Demeulemeester and Patrick Robyn's home, none other than Le Corbusier's Maison Guiette, a 1920s pavilion-style building that, with its pure lines, minimal chromatic palette, and unexpected construction and layover, seems to fully adapt to the spirit of Demeulemeester's creations and aesthetics. A model of the house is present at the MoMu, allowing us to satisfy our voyeuristic nature and take a peek at how the house looks on the inside, a true architectural wonder that is a testament to one of the most prolific periods of interior and architectural design.

Towards the end, an unexpected surprise is awaiting us. The man, the myth, the legend – to say it in light terms – Martin Margiela accepted the invitation made by MoMu to bring his white universe to the museum. In the same line of spaces taking the form of its inhabitant, Martin was well known for his radical approach to creation, and his decision to paint all the environment that surrounded him in white is one of fashion's most well-known stories. Now he took the time to recreate these spaces in a very special installation, allowing us to enter his atelier, in his first shop, and in the maison showrooms, and to stand in front of what was his most private space, his office – "an oasis of creation and meditation where I could catch my breath," as he describes it in his own words on the zine handed to us after the visit, filled with his testimonies. "Very few images exist of this place", and now we have it in front of us. You can also try to find his signature on one of the walls next to the Graffiti Tabis.

And finally Raf, our beloved Raf Simons, who often incorporates concepts, fabrics and silhouettes very close in nature to the ones found in interiors and spaces and having studied industrial design himself, must have had an important presence in this exhibition, and so he does. He shares his sources of inspiration in a video, from his graduate collection Corpo of "accessory cabinets", the vintage patchwork quilts, coats and parkas from the fall/winter 2017 collection and his overall connection with quilted fabrics, to his interpretation of Gaetano Pesce's Feltri armchair. Simons understanding of interior and exterior is explained in his own terms. Once again the MoMu manages to demonstrate why the history of fashion is the history of the world, why almost every discipline is interconnected with each other, why gender issues influence any creative outcome and how, by learning about the inside, we can begin to understand the outside.