Jurassic Couture Park
Even the Jurassic Park movies had couture moments. Read on (from Jurassic Park 3, 2001):
A field of beautiful dinosaurs comes into view.
Erik: Dr. Grant, know something Dr. Grant? Billy was right.
Paul Kirby: What was that?
Billy Brennan: That's a Tyrannosaurus.
Dr. Grant: I don't think so. It sounds bigger.
Dr. Grant: We haven't landed yet.
a T-Rex raises its head out of the carcass
the T-Rex roars and the team run off
Dr. Grant: Shit!
Dr. Grant: Great. I'm in the worst place in the world and I'm not even being paid for it.
Billy: I rescued your hat.
Dr. Grant: Well... that's the important thing.
*******
Several years ago I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with Montana State University paleontologist, Dr. Jack Horner, upon whom the lead Jurassic Park character Dr. Alan Grant is based. A little bit Hollywood himself, Dr. Horner consulted on the Jurassic Park films, and held unflinching, strong views about dinosaurs. I was stupid enough to ask him how dinosaurs became extinct, and his eyes flashed and he barked out, "It's not about how they died. It's about how they lived!" OK, so Dr. Horner is not an economist but an impassioned man of his field. The words dinosaurs and extinction come into such widespread usage during Haute Couture Week that I feel it is my duty to echo Dr. Horner.
Haute Couture is not about how it's slowly dying (and it is). It's about how it lives (and it does). I went to a few ateliers during Couture Week, notably Jean Paul Gaultier and on aura tout vu and saw close up the beauty and heart stopping perfection of garments that truly are out of this world. The embroideries are more beautiful than ever. At the top houses and the smaller, most creative ateliers, embroidery is "queen of the couture". The most famous embroiderer in the world, François Lesage, whose company is now owned by Chanel, sat and wept at Ralph Rucci's show for the magnificent white swing coat with the crystal "lilies of the valley" embroidered inside the piece. I sat with the brilliant design team on aura tout vu looking at dozens of embroideries they had made for Christian Lacroix as well as their own collection. The following day I had the pleasure of viewing the best private embroidery collection in Europe, some pieces dating back to the 15th century. All are religious motifs, along with flora and fauna. Perhaps now, tiny seed medallions may be pressed onto fabric with a very hot iron, but the workmanship, the hours of sewing and the ethereal inspirations are still with us. I saw clothes this season so beautiful that they may well end up in museums. The private embroidery collection I saw most certainly will, as plans are already underway to refurbish an old abbey in the south of France to house the treasures. I mentioned to the collectors that they might want to consider exhibitions of contemporary couture embroideries and they were very excited. It seems right to pair the old with the new, and a way of keeping this exquisite work alive. So the Catholic Church is our earliest couture experience, kept alive by royalty.
I read so many banal comments from shocked younger writers about how Haute Couture looks like it could have been made for Marie-Antoinette. All right already-get over it. Today Haute Couture is being made for obese Middle Eastern princesses and anorexic American women with rich husbands and bad face lifts. So what has really changed? Not a thing (except maybe for those very hot irons pressing on seed medallions). Haute Couture is dying out, and Haute Couture is living on. I prefer Dr. Jack Horner's interpretation. Let's focus on how Couture lives on. We hope you will enjoy our Haute Couture Spring 2004 Report. Here's to a little romance on Valentine's Day as well!
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