HIGHLIGHTS｜DRESS CODE - Are You Playing Fashion? | The Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI)

Hans Eijkelboom, Photo Notes, 1992-2019, Collection of the artist © Hans Eijkelboom

Highlights

How did you choose the clothes you are wearing today?
Uniforms, suits, jeans, T-shirts, tracksuits, dresses, trench coats…. In some cases, we choose our clothing because of the way we feel. In other cases, we decide based on what we are going to do or who we are going to meet. After all, as with cosplay, there are times when we want to transform ourselves into a different person.
On the other hand, fashion is not merely an act of wearing clothing – it is also an act of seeing and being seen. Every culture, society, and group has its own codes. This gives rise to a kind of communication between ourselves and others that resembles a game. Due to the spread of the Internet and social networking, anyone can freely transmit images of their own attire, leading to a new phase in the way in which we engage with fashion. In addition to fashion and art, this exhibition focuses on clothing styles depicted in movies and manga, encouraging viewers to reexamine the latest dress codes in contemporary society and our apparel practices (or games). From top. 1.COMME des GARÇONS HOMME PLUS (Rei Kawakubo) Autumn/Winter, 2009. 2.Kyoichi Tsuzuki (Ed.), Detail of Real Fashion Nipponica, 2019, Ishoku-hada, 2017 ©Lamaski 3.KOCHÉ (Christelle Kocher), Spring/Summer 2018. (1 and 3)Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama, except for no.2.

Various Examples of Contemporary Fashion: In this section, we present a variety of examples of contemporary fashion, ranging from men’s suits and uniforms, including widely loved designs and items such as Chanel suits, to the latest styles developed by popular brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Comme des Garçons, and Vetements.; In this section, we present a variety of examples of contemporary fashion, ranging from men’s suits and uniforms, including widely loved designs and items such as Chanel suits, to the latest styles developed by popular brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Comme des Garçons, and Vetements.

Contemporary Art Works Convey the Freedom (or Lack Thereof) of Clothing: How do contemporary artists like Ishiuchi Miyako, Morimura Yasumasa, and Hans Eijkelboom see clothing? In this section, we take a close look at the meaning of clothing in these artists’ works.; How do contemporary artists like Ishiuchi Miyako, Morimura Yasumasa, and Hans Eijkelboom see clothing? In this section, we take a close look at the meaning of clothing in these artists’ works.

The Relationship between Characters and Clothing in Theatre, Film, and Manga: Based on a collaboration with the historical manga Innocence and Innocent Rouge, and installations by the theatre companies Mum and Gypsy, and Chelfitsch, we examine the relationship between clothing and characters.; Based on a collaboration with the historical manga Innocence and Innocent Rouge, and installations by the theatre companies Mum and Gypsy, and Chelfitsch, we examine the relationship between clothing and characters.

The exhibition is based on themes related to a fictional dress code. These rules will enhance visitors’ enjoyment, inviting them to take the role of players in a game of fashion.

Is it a violation of the code to walk around outside naked?

Photo：Michelangelo Pistoletto, Venus of the Rags, 1967
Collection of the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art

Do we have to exhibit noble decorum?

Collaboration between a manga Innocent, Innocent Rouge by Shin‘ichi Sakamoto × Men's and women's court clothes, 1770-80's, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute

Photo：Dress (robe à la française), 1775-1779 (fabric 1750s-1760s), French
Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Taishi Hirokawa

Do we have to follow organizational rules?

VIKTOR & ROLF, Suit, Autumn/Winter 2003, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute
Japanese movie poster “Sailor Suit and Machine Gun” 1981, Collection of the National Film Archive of Japan, etc.

Photo：Rogers Peet Company, 1900s
Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

The one who is unwilling to work shall not be clothed…?

Satoru Aoyama, The Lonely labourer, 2019, video(4K)

Photo：Levi's, c.1971 (Smock: Emmanuelle Khanh diffusion Froisa, Spring/Summer 1971, gift of Ms. Yoshiko Okamura)
Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

Is it necessary to fight to survive?

Jean Paul Gaultier, Yukata with camouflage pattern, 2000, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, etc.

Photo：beautiful people, Autumn/Winter 2017, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

Do we have to determine an item’s authenticity?

MOSCHINO, Dress, Spring/Summer 2017, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, gift of MOSCHINO S.p.A.
KOCHÉ, Spring/Summer 2018, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama, etc.

Photo：FENDI, Dress, 2018, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

Is it necessary to be artistically and culturally literate?

YVES SAINT LAURENT, dress, Autumn/Winter, 1965, Haute Couture, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, gift of Mr. Yves Saint-Laurent
Rosemarie Trockel, I wonder, 2016, Collection of The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, etc.

Photo：Louis Vuitton, Jeff Koons, 2017, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

Do you have to intentionally choose your clothes?

CHANEL, Dress, c. 1927, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute
Yasumasa Morimura, Self-Portrait as Marilyn in Tokyo University, Komaba Campus, 1995/2008, Collection of Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
Miyako Ishiuchi, Frida by Ishiuchi, 2012/2016, Collection of Shiseido Gallery, etc.

Photo：vetements, MISS N°5, Autumn/Winter 2017, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

Do we have to be aware of how others look at you?

Photo：Hans Eijkelboom, Photo Notes, 1992-2019, Collection of the artist
© Hans Eijkelboom

Is it wrong to listen to what adults say?

CHRISTIAN DADA, Leather jacket, Spring/Summer, 2016, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, etc.

Photo：Keizo Motoda, Don’t try, 2015, collection of the artist
©Keizo Motoda

Can everybody be fashionable?

LOUIS VUITTON, Ensemble, Spring/Summer 2018, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, etc.

Photo：GUCCI, Autumn/Winter 2018, Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

Is fashion an endless game?

Mum & Gypsy, Hibi’s A to Z, 2019, Collection of the artist
Vetements, Show video, Autumn/Winter 2017, Collection of the artist

Photo：Mum & Gypsy, Hibi’s A to Z, 2019, Collection of the artist
© Mum & Gypsy, Photo by Sayuki Inoue

Give, and it will be given to you…?

Chelfitsch, The Fiction Over the Curtains, 2017–18. Collection of precog.

Photo：Chelfitsch, The Fiction Over the Curtains, 2017–18. Collection of precog. Production Shot.Photo by Hajime Kato

This collaborative project combines 18th-century male and female garments from the KCI Collection with Sakamoto Shin’ichi’s manga Innocent and Innocent Rouge, which deal with the Sanson family of executioners, who were active around the time of the French Revolution. The clothing and characters from the period promise to create a special atmosphere with a mixture of reality and fantasy.

Message

Kyoichi Tsuzuki

A Message from Mr. Kyoichi Tsuzuki/Editor, Photographer

The age of the Paris Collection, famous designers, and seasonal styles gradually spreading through the city’s clothing shops is now part of the distant past. Seasonally fashionable colors and trends have also disappeared; anachronistic, long-established fashion houses are now the target of bashing for their racist products and remarks; and fashion magazines are selling less and less. People are dressing however they want to, and it is more stylish to wear a T-shirt that nobody else has than to flaunt a brand item. In this era, in which digital technology has completely transformed everything from communication to distribution, where can we find the clothes that we want to wear instead of the clothes that the fashion industry wants us to wear?

Kyoichi Tsuzuki

MUM & GYPSY

A Message from Mum & Gypsy on the Occasion of a (New) Installation for this Exhibition

Every day for one reason or another we choose certain things to wear. But what does it mean to change clothes in the first place? The act of repeatedly changing into something else when night falls or morning comes has to do with some sort of rule or regulation. Or perhaps it’s part of a little story. I wanted to take a closer look at this.

Fujita Takahiro
Playwright / Director, Mum & Gypsy

Artists

Including historical clothes, court clothes in the 18th century or men‘s suits in the early 20th century, Dress Code mainly spotlights contemporary fashion. More than 90 clothes are selected from the KCI costume archives.
In addition, we present practices by contemporary artists , film posters or collaboration with theater companies or manga artist to explore deeply the meaning of wearing, featuring over 300 exhibits in total.

Kyoto

Fashion

Alaïa (Azzedine Alaïa), Anrealage (Kunihiko Morinaga), Aseedonclöud (Kentaro Tamai), Beautiful People (Hidenori Kumagiri), Burberry (Christopher Bailey), Campbell's Soup Company, Chanel (Gabrielle Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld), Christian Dada (Masanori Morikawa), Christian Dior (John Galliano, Maria Grazia Chiuri), Claude Montana, Comme des Garçons (Rei Kawakubo), Comme des Garçons Homme Plus (Rei Kawakubo), COMME des GARÇONS JUNYA WATANABE MAN, Dior Homme (Hedi Slimane), Dries Van Noten, Ganryu (Fumito Ganryu), Giorgio Armani, Gucci (Tom Ford, Alessandro Michele), Emmanuelle Khanh, Facetasm (Hiromichi Ochiai), Fendi (Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Fendi), Hanae Mori manuscrit (Yu Amatsu), Helmut Lang (Helmut Lang), Hi Brows, Ingeborg (Isao Kaneko), Issey Miyake Men (Yusuke Takahashi), Jean-Paul Gaultier, Koché (Christelle Kocher), Langlitz Leathers (Ross Langlitz), Levi’s, Louis Vuitton, Jeff Koons, Louis Vuitton (Nicholas Ghesquière), Louis Vuitton x Supreme (Kim Jones), Mame (Maiko Kurogouchi), Marc Jacobs, Marithé + François Girbaud (Marithé Bachellerie, François Girbaud), Martin Margiela (Martin Margiela), mintdesigns (Hokuto Katsui, Nao Yagi), Moschino (Jeremy Scott), Paul Smith (Paul Smith), Pierre Cardin, Richard James, Rogers Peet Company, sacai (Chitose Abe), Seditionaries (Vivienne Westwood), Tao Comme des Garçons (Tao Kurihara), Thom Browne, Tokio Kumagaï, Undercover (Jun Takahashi), Uniqlo and JW Anderson (Jonathan William Anderson), Valentino (Pierpaolo Piccioli), Vetements (Demna Gvasalia), Viktor & Rolf (Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren), Watson, Fagerstrom & Hughes, Writtenafterwards (Yoshikazu Yamagata), Yohji Yamamoto, Y's (Yohji Yamamoto), Yuima Nakazato, Yves Saint Laurent (Yves Saint Laurent) (Alphabetical order)

Others

Satoru Aoyama, Chelfitsch, Hans Eijkelboom, Ishiuchi Miyako, Yasumasa Morimura, Keizo Motoda, Mum & Gypsy, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Shin’ichi Sakamoto, Cindy Sherman, Rosemarie Trockel, Kyoichi Tsuzuki, Andy Warhol (Alphabetical order)

Kumamoto

Fashion

Alaïa (Azzedine Alaïa), Anrealage (Kunihiko Morinaga), Aseedonclöud (Kentaro Tamai), Beautiful People (Hidenori Kumagiri), Burberry (Christopher Bailey), Campbell's Soup Company, Chanel (Gabrielle Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld), Christian Dada (Masanori Morikawa), Christian Dior (John Galliano, Maria Grazia Chiuri), Claude Montana, Comme des Garçons (Rei Kawakubo), Comme des Garçons Homme Plus (Rei Kawakubo), COMME des GARÇONS JUNYA WATANABE MAN, Dior Homme (Hedi Slimane), Dries Van Noten, Ganryu (Fumito Ganryu), Giorgio Armani, Gucci (Tom Ford, Alessandro Michele), Emmanuelle Khanh, Facetasm (Hiromichi Ochiai), Fendi (Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Fendi), Hanae Mori manuscrit (Yu Amatsu), Helmut Lang (Helmut Lang), Hi Brows, Ingeborg (Isao Kaneko), Issey Miyake Men (Yusuke Takahashi), Jean-Paul Gaultier, Koché (Christelle Kocher), Levi’s, Louis Vuitton, Jeff Koons, Louis Vuitton (Nicholas Ghesquière), Louis Vuitton x Supreme (Kim Jones), Mame (Maiko Kurogouchi), Marc Jacobs, Marithé + François Girbaud (Marithé Bachellerie, François Girbaud), Martin Margiela (Martin Margiela), mintdesigns (Hokuto Katsui, Nao Yagi), Moschino (Jeremy Scott), Paul Smith (Paul Smith), Pierre Cardin, Richard James, Rogers Peet Company, sacai (Chitose Abe), Seditionaries (Vivienne Westwood), Tao Comme des Garçons (Tao Kurihara), Thom Browne, Tokio Kumagaï, Undercover (Jun Takahashi), Uniqlo and JW Anderson (Jonathan William Anderson), Valentino (Pierpaolo Piccioli), Vetements (Demna Gvasalia), Viktor & Rolf (Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren), Watson, Fagerstrom & Hughes, Writtenafterwards (Yoshikazu Yamagata), Yohji Yamamoto, Y's (Yohji Yamamoto), Yuima Nakazato, Yves Saint Laurent (Yves Saint Laurent) (Alphabetical order)

Others

Tokyo

Alaïa (Azzedine Alaïa), Anrealage (Kunihiko Morinaga), Aseedonclöud (Kentaro Tamai), Beautiful People (Hidenori Kumagiri), Burberry (Christopher Bailey), Campbell's Soup Company, Chanel (Gabrielle Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld), Christian Dada (Masanori Morikawa), Christian Dior (John Galliano, Maria Grazia Chiuri), Claude Montana, Comme des Garçons (Rei Kawakubo), Comme des Garçons Homme Plus (Rei Kawakubo), COMME des GARÇONS JUNYA WATANABE MAN, Dior Homme (Hedi Slimane), Dries Van Noten, Ganryu (Fumito Ganryu), Giorgio Armani, Gucci (Tom Ford, Alessandro Michele), Emmanuelle Khanh, Facetasm (Hiromichi Ochiai), Fendi (Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Fendi), Hanae Mori manuscrit (Yu Amatsu), Helmut Lang (Helmut Lang), Hi Brows, Ingeborg (Isao Kaneko), Issey Miyake Men (Yusuke Takahashi), Jean-Paul Gaultier, Koché (Christelle Kocher), Levi’s, Louis Vuitton (Nicholas Ghesquière), Louis Vuitton Jeff Koons, Louis Vuitton x Supreme (Kim Jones), Mame (Maiko Kurogouchi), Marc Jacobs, Marithé + François Girbaud (Marithé Bachellerie and François Girbaud), Martin Margiela (Martin Margiela), mintdesigns (Hokuto Katsui and Nao Yagi), Moschino (Jeremy Scott), noir kei ninomiya, Paul Smith (Paul Smith), Pierre Cardin, Richard James, Rogers Peet Company, sacai (Chitose Abe), Seditionaries (Vivienne Westwood), Tao Comme des Garçons (Tao Kurihara), Thom Browne, Tokio Kumagaï, Undercover (Jun Takahashi), Uniqlo and JW Anderson (Jonathan William Anderson), Valentino (Pierpaolo Piccioli), Vetements (Demna Gvasalia), Viktor & Rolf (Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren), Watson, Fagerstrom & Hughes, Writtenafterwards (Yoshikazu Yamagata), Yohji Yamamoto, Y's (Yohji Yamamoto), Yuima Nakazato, Yves Saint Laurent (Yves Saint Laurent)