Sunday 8 July 2018

Heavenly Bodies



“You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it.”
- Edith Head, American Costume Designer, 1897-1981

“Catholics live in an enchanted world, a world of statues and
holy water, stained glass and votive candles, 
saints and religious medals.
But these Catholic paraphernalia are mere hints of a deeper and more pervasive religious sensibility that inclines Catholics to see the Holy lurking in creation.”
- Andrew Greeley, The Catholic Imagination (2000)

Bill and I recently dog-sat for a friend in Manhattan. It was a tough gig, but someone had to do it....

Between walking the dogs and appreciating our air-conditioned digs, we visited art galleries and museums. One of the highlights was taking in the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (link) What an amazing experience! It featured couturier fashion designs that the curators believed exemplified Catholic sensibilities. Many of the great design houses were represented: Versace, Saint Laurent, Dior, Lacroix, Mugler, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, and more all had designs featured on the most exquisite mannequins. The opulence and radiance of the designs were mesmerizing.

Most interesting for me, however, were the faces of the mannequins. Regular readers of this blog know that I love photographing mannequins. And the faces of the mannequins at the Met were superb. Absolutely compelling. Tellingly - and I'm not sure about what - the eyes on the mannequins were all closed. In prayer? Subservience? Rapture? Or???

Here are ten of them. Enjoy!


The exhibit continues until October 8, 2018.

John Galliano - House of Dior

Rossella Jardini - House of Moschino

Christian Lacroix

Yves Saint Laurent

Pierpaolo Piccioli - Valentino S.p.A.

Thierry Mugler

Thom Browne

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana -
Dolce & Gabbana

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen - House of Givenchy

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