Christian Lacroix has never been one for functionality – criticised in the 1980s for not making clothes suitable for the working woman, his attitude to fashion is anything but utilitarian. But, let’s face it, when has great fashion ever been functional? Judging by the newest exhibition of Lacroix’s couture stage costumes at the National Museum of Singapore– Lacroix’s legacy of Franco-frippery seems to have made its mark.
With his pedigree firmly rooted in theatrical costume design, the exhibition is a chronographic celebration of Lacroix’s numerous forays into the world of the stage.
With 80 pieces and over 60 sketches (on loan from the Centre National de Costume de Scéne in Paris) on show, the exhibition provides a comprehensive picture of Lacroix’s prolific talent.
Having collaborated on productions from Othello to Carmen, Lacroix’s decadent embellishments, period influences and extravagant use of colour prove that the man behind the brand has never allowed the fashion industry to constrain his creativity.
Alongside the exhibition, the National Museum of Singapore will be hosting a curatorial lecture and an operatic performance in honour of the costumier. This is set to be the first international showing of the seminal collection - the primary part of a new media co-operation programme, taking place between France and Singapore.
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National Museum of Singapore
93 Stamford Road
Singapore 17889
Jack Moss is the Fashion & Beauty Features Director at Wallpaper*, having joined the team in 2022 as Fashion Features Editor. Previously the digital features editor at AnOther and digital editor at 10 Magazine, he has also contributed to numerous international publications and featured in ‘Dazed: 32 Years Confused: The Covers’, published by Rizzoli. He is particularly interested in the moments when fashion intersects with other creative disciplines – notably art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and reporting from international fashion weeks. Across his career, he has interviewed the fashion industry’s leading figures, including Rick Owens, Pieter Mulier, Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Christian Lacroix, Kate Moss and Manolo Blahnik.
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