Summer’s Exhibits Feature Louboutin, Prada, Ritts, YSL and Schiaparelli

Herb Ritts Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage, 1990

Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage, 1990

Herb Ritts Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989

Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989

 

Legendary fashion photographer Herb Ritts is known for snapping sinuous black-and-white portraits of clothed and nude celebs and models, but few people likely know that he grew up next door to the legendary Steve McQueen — which might explain why he why he was so at ease with celebrities and some of the world’s biggest models. Who else could get five of the world’s top models to play a game of naked Twister together? Celebrating his work, which was done in L.A. and its surrounding deserts and beaches, the Getty Center’s Herb Ritts: L.A. Style chronicles the photographer’s works in fashion, celebrity portraiture and nudes.

Setting himself apart from his more brooding peers on the East Coast, Ritts embraced the California sunshine, and embraced the commercial side of art and fashion photography, which critics saw as a sell out, but have now become iconic images. The exhibition features these stunning photos from Vogue, Rolling Stone and more, and select photos such as “Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi,” will be accompanied by audio commentary from the subjects themselves.

At the Getty, Los Angeles, through August 26th

Schiaparelli and Prada: The Classical Body

Schiaparelli and Prada: The Classical Body

This year, the Costume Institute and the Met are teaming up for Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, an exhibit that contrasts an icon of our generation with one of fashion’s favorite touchstones and brings together two minds from two radically different eras.

Iconic works from both designers will be on display side by side, creating faux-conversations on subjects such as The Exotic Body, the Naif, Ugly Chic and the Classical Body. The vignettes we’re looking forward to most? Waist Up/Waist Down and Neck Up/Knees Down, which explore the waist as a the focus of femininity and the contrast between Prada’s footwear and Schiap’s surrealist hats. Consider it a history lesson through the archives of fashion’s greatest artists.

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, May 10th through August 19th

Yves Saint Laurent Long Evening Dress

Yves Saint Laurent Long Evening Dress

After residencies in Paris and Madrid, Yves Saint Laurent The Retrospective comes to Denver for its only North American stop. Feeling Yves overload? That’s because there have been showings of his work for the past few summers. What sets the Denver museum’s collection apart? Aside from the altitude, with over 2,000 pieces, it’s bigger than the San Francisco and Houston showcases that have come and gone.

Combining over 200 pieces of haute couture with sketches, photos, short films and more, this is the most comprehensive collection of St. Laurent’s work to date (reports claim that each and every piece was shipped to the museum in its own humidity-controlled shipping cube). It premiered at the Petit Palais in Paris to rave reviews, and based on the reception so far we might have to plan a trip to the Mile High City to see this collection of safari jackets, couture gowns and le smokings.

At the Denver Art Museum through July 8th

Christian Louboutin at the London Design Museum

Christian Louboutin at the London Design Museum

To fête two decades in the industry, the Design Museum will showcase a “Best of” from cult and celebrity favorite cobbler Christian Louboutin.

The exhibit will walk visitors through Louboutin’s design process, following the shoe maestro from sketch to prototype to finished product, and even exploring how he sets his retail stores apart from the competition. Spanning everything from his famed stilettos to lace-up boots and even embellished sneakers, it’s a true retrospective of Louboutin’s greatest hits. For the daring, there’s a fetish room which showcases a collection Louboutin created in collaboration with David Lynch.

A racy hologram room shows the designer’s love of the latest technology (have you seen his quirky, surrealist Web site?), but what fans will probably enjoy the most is seeing one-of-a-kind red soles from the designer’s archives.

At the Design Museum, London, May 1 through July 9th

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Author:Christopher Luu for Fashion Trends Daily

Christopher Luu is a Fashion Trends Daily Senior Writer and Menswear Editor.