Curatorial Statement

In 2019, The Metropolitan Museum of Art produced the landmark exhibit, Camp: Notes on Fashion. I was in New York City at the time and seeing the exhibit reinforced my passion for high fashion and design. I grew up admiring the major fashion houses, designers, and brands such as Chanel, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, and Dior.

The origins of these incredible fashion designers fascinate me and inspired this exhibit. I was curious about the history of some of the most formative designers in the early days of haute couture, such as Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895) and fashion design in the nineteenth century more broadly. This exhibit focuses on nineteenth century France's top fashion houses, as well as some of the royalty who wore their designs. The main designer featured is Charles Frederick Worth, who became a well known french fashion house designer when his designs were noticed by a princess. These later nineteenth century fashion designers created beautiful and intricate designs that have a unique quality and aesthetic to them. Many of the designs feature intricate details and beautiful silhouettes. The designers of the nineteenth century normalized haute couture houses, and allowed for more designers to follow in their footsteps.

There is another section of the exhibit that features the work of Susan Sontag who wrote the book, Notes on “Camp”. Camp directly relates to nineteenth century haute couture fashion designers; it can define fashion as a whole. Many of the designs produced during the nineteenth century have elements of Camp within them. This book also happens to be what inspired the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Camp: Notes on Fashion exhibit. The exhibit is what introduced me to the work of Susan Sontag and her discussion of the term Camp, which holds great significance in the fashion world.

The History and Influence of Haute Couture exhibit is a combination of history, fashion, and Camp. The exhibit shows nineteenth century French designers' influence of haute couture and even everyday fashion, and the importance of the designs and those who wore them.

Author and Curator, Lela Winant.

Biography

My name is Lela Rose Winant and I’m majoring in Humanities. I’m in my fourth year and working online. I live in Asheville, North Carolina and I enjoy spending time in nature and the museums here. I have grown up always appreciating fashion and design. I really became interested with my topic for my digital collection because I was able to learn so much about french fashion that I never knew before. I have a newfound appreciation for nineteenth century french fashion, such as the beautiful colors, silhouettes, and intricate fabrics. These designs that I selected to share, all share the common theme of color patterns that I feel go well with each other.