Last night, the 2015 Met Gala was held in New York. But rather than focus on that (as I’m sure many news sites are already knee-deep in coverage), I thought I’d rewind the clock a bit. Every year, The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts a themed exhibition, ranging from designer showcases to cultural studies. I would like to focus on 2008’s theme, which was the epitome of geek couture. (There was also a corresponding fashion editorial released in Vogue of model Coco Rocha in superhero-inspired wear.)

To quote from the press release, “As superheroes enjoy a surge in mass popularity, The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art explores the symbolic and metaphorical associations between these fictional characters and fashion in Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, an exhibition at the Museum from May 7 through September 1, 2008. The exhibition features approximately 60 ensembles including movie costumes, avant-garde haute couture, and high-performance sportswear to reveal how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body.”

“Today, superhero imagery has suffused almost every aspect of popular culture,” said Andrew Bolton, Curator in the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. “The superhero’s iconic costume of cape, mask, and bodysuit finds many fashionable permutations. But fashion’s embrace of the superhero extends beyond iconography, to issues of identity, sexuality, and nationalism. Fashion shares with the superhero an inherent metaphorical malleability which fuels its fascination with the idea and the ideal of the superhero.”

“Superman and Spider-Man costumes addressed the subject of The Graphic Body, relating Superman’s ‘S’ chevron to designer logos and branding.”


“Catwoman represents The Paradoxical Body, which explores the character’s vacillating manifestations of good and bad.”

“The stars and stripes of Wonder Woman’s uniform, a composite of the American flag, epitomize The Patriotic Body and designs that appropriate patriotic emotions implicit in the character.”

 
“Batman and Iron Man represent The Armored Body, and examine avant-garde fashion that merges flesh and metal, skin and chromium.”


“The Mutant Body, denoted by the X-Men, highlights clothing that morphs men into beasts.”

 
Designers included: Atair, Giorgio Armani, Balenciaga, Pierre Cardin, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Eiko Ishioka, Alexander McQueen, Julien Macdonald, Moschino, Thierry Mugler, Nike, Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, Speedo, Spyder, As Four, Walter van Beirendonck, Versace, and Bernhard Willhelm.

The exhibition was made possible by Giorgio Armani (one of my personal favourite designers)

Photographs: Tyler Hicks, Lauren David Peden, and Robin S. Rosenberg

Last year at San Diego Comic Con, Her Universe created the Geek Couture runway show (no, that’s not where I got the name for my blog category. I came up with it independently. But it seems from the title and the Lady Vader design I was working on at the time, Ashley Eckstein and I are on the same wavelength!). It was an attempt to let would-be-designers compete to show off their high fashion concepts on a runway at Comic Con. Her Universe started off the event by showcases some of their own talented sketches of various haute couture characters (I really love The Walking Dead – Lori’s Ghost one the most. I could see that very easily being a case of stealth geek).

The runway show was a resounding success as 36 designers and models stomped down the runway in their original designs. The large hall at the convention was standing room only as fangirls and boys alike excitedly gathered for the first-of-its-kind event. The designers ranged from professional costumers to hobby cosplayers, but all with equal amounts of passion.

As if the event wasn’t cool enough by itself, there was added incentive as two winners would be chosen from the runway show to then partner with Her Universe and Hot Topic to create their own collection. The two winners were….

Amy Beth Christenson Smith with her Delorean-inspired outfit from Back to the Future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew MacLaine with his show-stopping quick-change Regina from Once Upon a Time.

 

 

 

 

 
You have to see the full reveal of this one. It still blows my mind.

You can see a gallery of all the outfits here: (scroll down towards the bottom of the post): http://settostunning.com/2014/08/07/sdcc-her-universe-geek-couture-fashion-show/
(My apologies as I was trying to upload them all here, but can’t seem to get it formatted. Hmm, more things to learn!)

As geekdom and fashion circle ever closer to where lines begin to blur (such as Rodarte’s famed Star Wars runway collection), now comes geek giant, Marvel, crossing over to fashion with their announcement today of new men’s fashion line. In collaboration with Five Four, this line is being launched as an alternative to the (albeit beloved) geek t-shirt and jeans. Here, geek print meets with fashion-forward clothing (on some aptly cast male models)

Looking fashionable isn’t just for the lady nerds. Men, you too can have stealth geek chic.

The line launches on April 1st with outerwear, dress shirts, graphic tees, and accessories. For those of you familiar with LootCrate or Nerdblock (the mystery subscription boxes), this clothing line will be coming from Five Four as a monthly $60 box containing $120 worth of clothes, styled to your own specifications.

I cannot even begin to describe how much this excites me. I’ve often felt on the outskirts of these two worlds – too geeky for the fashion world or too styled for the geek world. But after watching trends of geekdom on the rise to mainstream and the eyes of the fashion world turning towards celebrating the things we love, like superheroes and catwomen, I knew they were going to come head-to-head at some point and make a beautiful blend. It’s happening! (Technically one can argue that it’s been happening, but that enters the realm of subjective opinion, which is neither here nor there). Regardless of the personal opinion, I’ll stick with my original exclamation of how exciting this is! Besides, who doesn’t love a well dressed (geek) guy?

There are times where it seems the worlds of fashion and geekdom couldn’t be farther apart – one bedecked in expensive fantasies of chiffon, leather, and Swarovski crystals while the other  revels in fabric superhero prints, graphic tees, and leggings galore. But the two are not so far off each other as one might suppose. While the two have skated around each other, seeming like polar opposites, their orbits are coming ever closer (and, in fact, have crossed paths before). From Rodarte’s Star Wars runway line last year to the growth of formal-themed cosplays at conventions worldwide, the blend of geek couture is on the rise.

In this category, Geek Couture, every week I will feature one of these so-called blends, whether it be from the fashion side or the geek side of things. Today’s feature comes from the 2008 issue of Vogue where (my personal favourite model) Coco Rocha and photographer, Craig McDean, did a superhero-inspired editorial (inspired by the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and their big spring exhibition, “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” that same year. A quote from the Costume Institute’s website, “… to reveal how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body.“)

Poison Ivy with a Nina Ricci Swarovski custom-made embellished dress

Catwoman by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana with Christian Louboutin for Rodarte shoes

Dawnstar in custom sequined Dior haute couture dress

The Little Mermaid with Gaultier rubber bodysuit with shell detail and sequined detail
Another Batman-inspired Armani Prive silk dress

A Batman inspired custom made Rick Owens zippered leather-and-cashmere suit

Aurora with Martin Margiela custom made bodysuit

(Photos via http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/superhero-style-by-craig)