April 15, 2016
Roberto Cavalli gown on display at The Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute's most-attended fashion exhibition in history is the subject of a new documentary hitting theaters nationwide April 15.
Directed by Andrew Rossi, “The First Monday in May” examines the planning of The Met’s “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibition, which opened on May 7, 2015 with one of the fashion calendar's most coveted events, the annual Met Gala. Viewing of China: Through the Looking Glass exceeded 50,000 visitors in July of last year, resulting in the museum pushing back the end date to accommodate more guests, and in the process closing in on the attendance number of Alexander McQueen’s retrospective Savage Beauty (see story).
On with the show
The First Monday of May was premiered with a screening at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 13, and is the first feature film backed by Condé Nast Entertainment, a division of the publishing house established in 2011.
Mr. Rossi’s film takes fashion enthusiasts behind-the-scenes of The Met Gala and the exhibition itself, giving viewers access to working relationship of Condé Nast artistic director and Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and curator of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Andrew Bolton.
Promotional post for The First Monday in May
China: Through the Looking Glass explored the influences Chinese culture has had on Western high-fashion through a juxtaposition of couture and avant-garde fashion pieces with Chinese art and cultural artifacts. While many brands focus in on Chinese consumer behavior through social efforts and store openings, this exhibit aimed to appraise cultural appropriation in reverse.
The exhibit was divided into two parts, one that included three of China’s major historical periods — Imperial China, the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China — and a second that focused on the Empire of Signs. The exhibit featured 130 couture and avant-garde fashions side-by-side with examples of Chinese costumes, paintings, films, porcelains and other art (see story).
Still from The First Monday in May
In the film, Mr. Rossi explores the “collision of high fashion and celebrity” at the Met Gala through a cast of fashion figures such as Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano as well as iconic celebrities, such as Rihanna who stunned in a couture gown by Chinese couturier Guo Pei.
The underlying question the documentary asks viewers, and participants, is if fashion should be viewed as art.
Watch the First Monday in May Trailer
Tickets for The First Monday in May can be found here.
Condé Nast’s debut of The First Monday in May puts the Met Gala and this year’s Costume Institute exhibition top of mind.
The 2016 gala, titled “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology,” to be held May 2 will delve into the industry’s fascination with technological innovations, whether that be wearables or 3D printing.
In October 2015, consumer electronics giant Apple was announced as the sponsor of the gala. Recently, Apple has ventured deeper into the luxury sector through its Apple Watch partnership with French leather goods house Hermès, a collaboration predicted by experts as technology and the fashion industry continue to merge (see story).
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