the lady in green

While in NY this past week, I visited two wonderful exhibits at the Museum at FIT (7^th Ave at 27^th St.), one of which was: She’s Like a Rainbow: Colors in Fashion (November 11, 2006 – May 9, 2007) The exhibit explores the fascinating history and symbolism of colour in fashion, with a significant collection of garments and accessories embodying these meanings.

One noteworthy piece was a gorgeous evening gown in green silk, sequins, and fir from Tom Ford’s last RTW collection for Gucci (Fall 2004). (Image from style.com)

Here are some images taken from my phone before knowing I wasn’t allowed to take them… The first dress is by Calvin Klein in silk georgette, but I unfortunately didn’t document the other two…

A few tidbits of info from the exhibit that I found intriquing:

WHITE
White signified youth, summer, and femininity during the 19th century, while only starting to be used as the virginal colour of bridal gowns. Traditionally, white has been the colour of mourning, death, and ghosts in Indian and Chinese culture.

BLACK
Black became a dominant fashion colour in the 1920s in large part due to the massive amount of mourning the casualties from the first World War. It was during that time that the ever-present “Little Black Dress,” or LBD, came into fruition.

GREEN
Green is, obviously, associated with plants and life, and is considered a holy colour in many religions, such as Islam. However, green can also represent nausea, envy, and death. Green paint was previously comprised of arsenic, and thus became associated with poison.

Oscar Wilde linked green to an “artistic temperament” as well as decadence. He referred to his signature carnation as the “arsenic flower of an exquisite life.”

Also, the heroine of Ronald Firbank’s A Tragedy in Green proclaimed “Green! I do not care about you in trees but oh! in gowns, you are the only color!”

RED
When The Little Red Riding Hood was published in France in the 17^th century, red cloaks were often associated with prostitutes.