Visionary Threads

An exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia showcases the work of fashion maverick Rudi Gernreich.

By: Sally Friedman

"Rudi
Rudi Gernreich, shown above in a 1970 photo, was considered a maverick in many fashion circles during the 60s and 70s.

   He was fashion’s bad boy, a maverick, an iconoclast and, many would insist, a visionary.
   When the late Rudi Gernreich burst on the fashion scene in the 1960s and ’70s, the rules were changed forever. Suddenly, there were none. That, in itself, was revolutionary.
   The life and times of Gernreich, a Vienna native who fled the Holocaust, is the subject of a spectacular exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, the only venue in the United States where it will be shown. Aptly titled Rudi Gernreich: Fashion Will Go Out of Fashion, the exhibit highlights the designer’s most dramatic work, including the 1964 "monokini" topless swimsuit, arguably Gernreich’s most memorable effort.
   "We regard Gernreich as an under-recognized artist — and yes, an artist by our definition, because so many of his designs are truly masterpieces," says ICA Director Claudia Gould. "Our institution likes to showcase the works of those we think are futurists, but who may not have gotten the attention they deserve."
   According to Ms. Gould, while Rudi Gernreich was surely recognized in his heyday, the tumultuous ’60s and then the ’70s, his label — and visibility — disappeared as he retreated from the fashion scene. "He had no designer perfume, no product line, as so many of today’s designers do," she says. "With his death, his name became somewhat obscure."
   The Gernreich exhibit has a long history. Ms. Gould had heard of it merely as a concept five years ago. Once it became a reality, she welcomed the chance to present it at ICA. "I had hoped that someday, I might help organize such an exhibition," says Ms. Gould, who would see that wish fulfilled.
   Although it meant numerous trips to Austria, where the exhibit’s curator, Brigitte Felderer, was the leading light in its creation, Ms. Gould feels the resulting exhibition more than justifies the effort.

"Posthumously
Posthumously seen as a visionary, some of Mr. Gernreich’s designs, pictured above and below, are on view at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

   The Gernreich exhibit at ICA is showcased in a visually stunning display that features not just bold examples of Gernreich fashions, but also intriguing mannequins on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s all set against a backdrop of newspaper clippings and display ads from the Gernreich archives at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in New York. There is dramatic film footage, as well, from the TV programs and films for which the designer did the costuming.
   "The installation was truly one of the keys to the success of the show," says Ms. Gould, whose staff received her commendation during a gala opening night party for the show last month. Along with his fashions, Gernreich’s remarkable life is also chronicled in text. His membership in the Mattachine Society, a forerunner of today’s gay movement, is an ironic footnote to his life. The designer never acknowledged his sexual orientation during his lifetime.
   In the end, it’s the fashions themselves that are the stars of this unusual show. From the hot colors that would seem to collide with one another, mixed by Gernreich with impunity, to the over-the-knee boots, sexy dresses with cut-out midriffs and the strangely androgynous ensembles that have become classics, the designer’s work reveals itself as startling and forward-thinking.
   "Gernreich designed a future," suggested Glenn O’Brien in a recent piece in Artforum Magazine. "He worked with a futurist palette of colors, he liberated the body with clothing that revealed rather than concealed it."

"The
The Gernreich exhibit at ICA is showcased in a visually stunning display that features not just bold examples of the fashions, but also intriguing mannequins on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

   One of the designer’s key philosophies, in fact, giving the wearer of his clothing complete freedom and liberation from the strictures of earlier decades, is evident in the often shockingly bold fashions in the ICA display. Gernreich clearly saw a future in which women would invade the work force in unprecedented numbers. The designer also foresaw the more casual workplace long before "Casual Friday" became something of a corporate mandate.
   "Clothes, as Gernreich conceived them, should by no means be inconspicuous; women should not follow the tired ‘good advice’ offered by the women’s magazines," states curator Brigitte Felderer in the catalog introduction. The current exhibit does justice to this fashion leader, who broke every rule and turned the thing called "style" on its ear. Kudos also go to the company that created the installation design, Coop Himmelblau of Austria, for putting a frame around a truly breathtaking fashion portrait.
Fashion Will Go Out of Fashion continues at the Institute of Contemporary
Art, 118 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, through Nov. 11. Hours: Wed.-Fri. noon-8
p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission costs $3, students over 12 $2, free
to ICA members and children under 12. Free admission Sun. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. For
information, call (215) 898-5911. On the Web: www.icaphila.org