Article By Ramona Jones | Photos by Philippe Warren
When one travels to the nation’s capitol Washington, D.C. you think of tourist traps like the Smithsonian, the White House, and the Washington Monument. The thought of anything that has to do with the arts and fashion amongst the architecture and grandeur of D.C. is a distant glare if not a complete paradox.
That distant glare is constantly coming to a cusp with the aide of Christine Brooks-Crooper, President of the DC Fashion Foundation. This past November, the organization launched its latest fashion missive; the Cultural Couture Fashion And Art Exhibit , housed inside one of the large modern galleries of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. While a few blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue, a certain First Lady is doing all she can to bring chic to the Capitol via her much-talked about ensembles, the DC Fashion Foundation is looking to put fashion (and art) on display for erstwhile fashionistas and budding artists alike. Under the watchful and heavily-edited eye of curator Andrew Nowell (a DC resident and menswear designer who will be showing his collection for the first time during New York City’s upcoming Fashion Week), the exhibit features photography, fashion, and artwork from an unconventional perspective. Items such as shopping bags, glass, tile, feathers, and wood even, are converted into wearable art. “Fashion is what you make it”, says Nowell.
With a combined total of twenty designers, artists, and photographers expected to showcase their work until March, participants were expected to push the envelope. Wardrobe stylist and sculptor Monique Monte’s display, her version of “Asian Warriors”, used cupcake dollies in place of fabric for an A-line dress to stunning effect; her three other dresses follow the same eccentric path, which appear to be made of metal, dyed bamboo and yes, studded fabric. Jewelry designer Carmen Eliam offers her copper headpieces, exaggerated neck pieces and even a copper bra for your consideration. Local creatives, like fashion designers Ean Williams, Gary Pridgeon as well as Andrew Nowell himself, fashion photographers Leonard Poteat and Don Harris, and accessories designers like Carmen Eliam find their creations aside more-established fashion labels that live outside of the Beltway- like Shaka King and (courtesy of NYC fashion-stylist, duo The Stylemonsters) Kansai Yamamoto. Gowns from New York design stalwart Ashton Hall makes a fabulous appearance as well. Fine artist Paris K. Edwards finds his pieces anchoring contributions from furniture designer Bill Johnson. It’s a visual feast.
Missing from this feast on the opening night were the fashion cognoscenti. The exhibit was made possible through financial support of the local government, and organizations like the Small Businessman Administration, but what was lacking was the presence of DC’s fashion community. With the district beginning to flourish and cultivating a seemingly growing pulse of fashion bloggers and fashionable people, where were they for events such as this? “We sent out invitations! D.C bloggers didn’t show up!” says Nowell. This is somewhat confounding, since the revitalization (or some would say, renaissance) of D.C., has birthed the tremendous presence of fashion and lifestyle media, press, and blogs- so much so that there are online communities like DC CapFabb, which unifies four hundred bloggers and counting.
Hopefully, the event (which runs through March 15th) will spawn better media coverage in February, when a live fashion show (featuring most of the highlighted designers) is scheduled to take place right outside of the gallery venue in the grand atrium- which is sure to be one of D.C.’s most fashion-centric events of the year. With more designers (local and international) planning to showcase their talents in this exhibition before it bows, there is a pulse attempting to find a rhythm in these hallowed halls. Perhaps the fashion citizens of Washington, D.C. will grasp this notion and support those who are making progressive strides, before the rest of the nation catches on and these artists are whisked away to points and locales beyond Pennsylvania Avenue.
Cultural Couture Fashion and Art Exhibit: An Exhibition of Fashion and the Arts from the perspective of Local and International Artists, Designers and Stylists, is currently on display at The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center through March 15th, 2014- courtesy of the DC Fashion Foundatioin www.dcfashionfoundation.org