Greco-Roman influence on fashion examined

NEW YORK, May 15 (UPI) -- The Metropolitan Museum's annual Costume Institute mega show examines the Greco-Roman influence on women's fashion in the past two centuries, exhibiting nearly 200 classic dresses that can best be described as "divine" in the lingo of 7th Avenue.

Produced by the Met's fashion curator, Harold Koda, it is the densest show ever to occupy the Costume Institute's cramped basement exhibition gallery and adds up to overkill. Titled "Goddess," the exhibit makes the point of Olympian inspiration, especially in evening dress, over and over again, forgetting that less can be more.

About 100 gowns of true classic inspiration would have put the idea across just as effectively and eliminated some of the borderline examples by Donna Karan, Issey Miyake, Holly Harp, and Tommy Hilfiger, as well as some 19th century full-skirted dresses that are a travesty of classic design and its emphasis on the cascading columnar look.

This would have left more room to show additional work of some of the leading designers in the Greco-Roman style, especially the only Greek-born, New York-based couturier in the show, George Stavropoulos, who is represented by just one flowing jersey dress. His nearest competitor in interpreting Greek fashion in its purest form, French designer Mme. Gres, is more liberally represented.

The classic mode was reintroduced to Western fashion about 1790 during the French Revolution when designers as well as politicians began to look to the Roman Republic for inspiration, resulting in Directoire fashion under the rule of the Directorate and Empire fashion under the rule of Napoleon.

This high-waisted, low-necked, slim-skirted style associated with Empress Josephine is shown in a number of fetching examples. Although it did not persist for much more than 25 years, the memory of its flattering beauty lingered on and was revived in the early 20th century by such Parisian designers as Paul Poiret, Madeleine Vionnet, Lucile, Lucian Lelong, and Jean Patou.

Dresses by these designers make reference to the attributions of Olympic deities, especially Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and used repetitive ornamental patterns and designs favored by the ancients including the Greek key, a rectilinear meander, abstract waves, geometric repeats, and palmettes. They based the shape and cut of the garment on three Greek patterns.

They were the 'chiton,' a loose-fitting gown either sleeveless or with long, dolman-like sleeves with a buttoned or pinned shoulder line, the 'peplos,' a gown folded over at the top to form a blouson effect over a cinched waist, and the 'himation,' a mantle similar to a Roman toga partially draped over one shoulder. Variations of these patterns dominate the show.

Koda notes that revivals of interest in classic design came in the 1930s, the 1970s, and today, periods when women were looking to show off their bodies.

"The main reason this design appeals to women of such different generations is that the maintenance of the body is seen by them as really important," he said in an interview. "Rather than relying on underpinnings and structured clothing, women want to display their efforts, whether it is through exercise, diet, or cosmetic enhancement."

Outstanding displays of dress design of the 20th century include a range of Mariano Fortuny's body-clinging chitons, hand-stencilled and pleated by secret processes of his own invention, and Mary McFadden's personal take on Fortuny's designs. Ralph Rucci, the only American designer who shows his collection in Paris, contributes a liquid black silk jersey midriff evening gown inspired by Mme. Gres.

The 1930s-1940s Hollywood designer Gilbert Adrian is represented by a cape ensemble based on the himation, and a variation of this look turns up in Valentino's one-shoulder caped gown in sea-green silk edged in pearl and crystal beads designed for Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis' trip to Cambodia in 1967. Jennifer Lopez wore a copy of this gown to the Academy Awards ceremony in March.

The use of criss-crossing ties at the midriff is a variation of the classic silhouette introduced in the 1930s, adapted later by Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, Carolina Herrera, Scott Barrie, and notably Alexander McQueen. On display is McQueen's nude silk crepe criss-crossing the breasts and falling in a shredded, asymmetrical hemline from his 2003 collection. It was appropriately nicknamed the "Shipwreck Dress."

Of novel interest is the loosely woven purple silk chiton that dancer Isadora Duncan, who claimed to have revived Greek interpretive dancing, designed for herself in the 1920s and a tunic dress that her brother, Raymond, designed for her. Raymond Duncan, a self-proclaimed eccentric, swore off modern men's wear in favor or Roman togas and sandals.

If you want to see the Greco-Roman inspired gown Emanuel Ungaro designed for Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue to wear to a musical awards presentation last year, hurry to the Metropolitan Museum before the show closes Aug. 3. And don't miss the most unusual exhibit of all - a Jean Paul Gaultier gunmetal gray silk crepe gown boldly photo-printed with a bare-breasted image of Venus.

The show includes hand-tinted fashion prints from 19th century ladies' magazines, classic sculpture, photos by George Hoyningen-Heune of maenad-like models in floating gowns, a Vera Wang net wedding dress in the Directoire style, and a catalog ("Goddess: The Classic Mode," Yale University Press, 224 pages, $39.95).