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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Daphne Guinness
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Ensemble: Shirt and jacket by Daphne Guinness; pants from London punk shop.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Ensemble by Gareth Pugh.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Alexander McQueen.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Boots by Alexander McQueen.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Boots by Alexander McQueen.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Shoe by Alexander McQueen.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Red suede shoes by Nina Ricci.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Jacket by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Coat by Valentino.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Coat by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Daphne Guinness.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Gareth Pugh.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Gareth Pugh.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Balmain.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by McQueen.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Alaia.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress by Lacroix; jacket by McQueen.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dress and hooded coat by Gareth Pugh
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Dresses and shoes from the ARMOR section of the exhibition Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Ensembles from the DANDYISM section of the exhibition Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Ensembles from the SPARKLE section of the exhibition Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Ensembles from the SPARKLE section of the exhibition Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Ensembles from the EXOTICISM section of the exhibition Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Alexander McQueen ensemble featured in the exhibition Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT.
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Daphne Guinness by David LaChappelle
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Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT
Like her famous coif, the Daphne Guinness exhibit on display now at the Museum at FIT exudes both light and darkness. One can’t help but remember her friendship with the late Alexander McQueen in almost every corner of the mirrored exhibition space, and it’s no coincidence that his clothes dominate her sartorial palette. It is also both satisfying and fitting that this exhibit comes shortly after the closing of the epic McQueen exhibit at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
It has been noted by many, including The New Yorker, that this is one of the first exhibits devoted to a fashion icon instead of a designer, but it is now apparent that Guinness is the creator of a completely unique aesthetic. Her preference for “dandyism,” including closely fitted waistcoats and cummerbunds that displays her preference for structured androgyny, is especially evoked in her starched white shirts with stiff collars almost suffocatingly tall. True artists must suffer, or so the saying goes.
Partially styled by Guinness herself, the outfits are separated into sections of evening wear; some composed only of gowns, others skirt separates, cocktail dresses and finally her flamboyant suits. Each look is accessorized with metals of every kind and gems of every color. Brooches as bright as Gerbera daisies adorn the starched collars, and the millinery includes more McQueen-esque feathers and many birdcage black veils. Though the legacy of McQueen is at every turn with his feathered armor vests and even a few of his designs for the house of Givenchy, gowns by Alaia, Karl Lagerfeld, Valentino and Gareth Pugh abound. One piece by Pugh, a leather pantsuit covered in small nails is particularly surreal but most exemplifies her taste for fashion that emotes as clearly (and sometimes painfully) as a Rockwell painting.
The final look (when touring the exhibit from right to left) features a robin’s egg blue suit jacket, beautifully tailored and designed by Guinness herself. The simplicity in its muted brightness cleanses the onlooker’s palette after what seems like a steady wave of staggering and complicated darkness. Ultimately, the distance between these two aesthetic poles doesn’t undermine the beauty of the whole; the fascinating beauty that has made Daphne Guinness high fashion’s most prominent muse.
