PUNK: Chaos to Couture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Until now I have only featured London exhibitions on the website, but having gained new American readers and with plenty of UK ones who travel there, I felt it was time to broaden the horizons. Punk: Chaos to Couture began at The Met just after I left New York, and I was frustrated to miss it because it looks like a great exhibition.

D.I.Y. Hardware Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Focusing on the relationship between punk and couture since its conception in the 70s, the exhibition features iconic garments alongside contemporary counterparts that have been influenced by the movement. It is organised thematically and divided into seven galleries, each one devoted to a particular aspect of punk and the ‘heroes’ who championed it.

The first space is dedicated to CBGB in New York (the renowned punk venue originally intended for country, bluegrass and blues), represented by Blondie, Richard Hall and Patti Smith. Another space is inspired by punk royalty Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood and their King’s Road boutique.

Facsimile of CBGB bathroom, New York, 1975 Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The DIY aesthetic that is so central to punk is also explored, with a gallery dedicated to D.I.Y. Hardware, focusing on couture’s use of studs, spikes chains, zippers, padlocks and safety pins and it’s icon Sid Vicious. Likewise D.I.Y. Destroy celebrates Johnny Rotten and punk’s ‘rip it to shreds’ spirit, via shredded garments associated with deconstructionism.

430 King’s Road Period Room Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

“Since its origins, punk has had an incendiary influence on fashion,” says Andrew Bolton, Curator in The Costume Institute. “Although punk’s democracy stands in opposition to fashion’s autocracy, designers continue to appropriate punk’s aesthetic vocabulary to capture its youthful rebelliousness and aggressive forcefulness.”

A whole host of contemporary designers are featured, including Hussein Chalayan, John Galliano, Nicolas Ghesquière, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren (Viktor & Rolf), Rei Kawakubo, Helmut Lang, Malcolm McLaren, Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh, Zandra Rhodes, Yohji Yamamoto and Vivienne Westwood.

The Exhibition is described as ‘an immersive multimedia experience’, where the clothes are brought to life by the use of vintage videos and soundscaping audio techniques. It looks like a really unique tribute to one of music and fashion's most influential movements, so if you are in New York why not take a look!

Punk: Chaos to Couture is at The Metropolitan Museum of Art until 14 August

www.metmuseum.org/punk
@metmuseum

D.I.Y. Graffiti & Agitprop Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Clothes for Heroes Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Home Sweet Home...

I’ve been back in sunny (that’s not even sarcastic!) England for just over a week now and I am finally getting back into the swing of things. It’s amazing how that extra three hours of time difference on the west coast can affect you! Or at least that’s my explanation for why I’ve been sleeping in lately. There’s also the small matter of post-holiday blues to contend with – real life is always a tricky adjustment after 16 days of prioritising having fun above all else.

The view from Brooklyn Bridge

So first I want to say a HUGE thank you to the beautiful Sarah for taking over the blog while I was away, she did an amazing job. I read her Alice Cooper post in the Hard Rock Café in New York and her summary of our comical student escapades made me laugh out loud!

A big thank to the equally beautiful Kay too, for her beauty post – entertaining and informative, you can see why I rarely make a beauty purchase without asking her opinion these days. It proved a popular post with you guys too so hopefully I can persuade her to share some more in the future.

And as for our holiday... before normal blogging resumes, I would like to give a shout out to the following in no particular order, for making it such an amazing and unforgettable trip:

New York: The New York Knicks (Pablo Prigioni, I love you!), Maarit for showing us the ‘secret burger place’, the unexpected heat wave, Brooklyn for the best Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been to, Benito One in Little Italy, the epic beer selection at our 'local' Fast Eddies, my favourite Victoria’s Secret store in the world, Magnolia Bakery, the Pick A Bagel on 8^th, the guy who rides his tricycle around Central Park blaring out Beat It, every sports bar that changed the channel especially for us, and the mystery bar near the Paul's Boutique corner that was too darn cool to have a name (or maybe we were too darn drunk to remember it...)

Los Angeles: Our good friend Skyler (and his good friends Amber and Claire), Loaded Bar for reminding me that tequila isn’t the devil, The Cheesecake Factory for never, ever disappointing, Santa Monica Pier, the Viper Room, the insane Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, the 'additional water effects' on the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios (not!), every guy who rapped out loud on the subway, the phenomenal views from Griffith Park, Senses Fail, Blake Griffin, Megatron, Dropkick Murphys and the awesome shops on Melrose.

And last but not least thank you to James, for being my partner in crime for what can only be described as an epic adventure! Right, now that the thank yous are done, normal blogging will resume. I have a few gigs to review, lots of fashion discoveries to share and a new website in the works… so stay tuned!

I wasn't kidding about Prigioni...

The view from Griffith Park

Santa Monica beach

The best cheesecake on earth!