WEAPONS OF SEDUCTION: Armor + Lingerie = Fierce Fashion at The Museum at FIT

31 Aug '06

3 min read

Joan of Arc is an unlikely fashion icon, but designers are increasingly channeling the spirit of warrior women.

Love and War: The Weaponized Woman, a visually stunning and intellectually daring exhibition on view at The Museum at FIT from September 9 through December 16, 2006, takes an unprecedented look at the influence of armor and other military styles on fashion.

But it's not all chain mail and camouflage. As designers seek to express sensuality, as well as power, they also reference lingerie.

"If lingerie is like soft skin, armor is a hard exoskeleton," said Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT. "Lingerie symbolizes nakedness, intimacy and seduction, while armor is associated with authority, protection and discipline."

"Of course, different designers take different approaches to this dialogue between silk and steel. The British design team Boudicca create styles that evoke transgressive warrior women, while Jean Paul Gaultier does camouflage couture, Issey Miyake makes references to samurai armor, and Narciso Rodriquez blends silk with chain mail."

Featuring approximately eighty contemporary garments by leading designers, Love and War: The Weaponized Woman will be divided into four sections:

The Weaponized Woman will feature warrior-like fashions by designers, such as Boudicca, Jean Paul Gaultier, Helmut Lang, Versace, and Yohji Yamamoto, as well as an example of theatrical armor worn by an actress playing Joan of Arc.

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