Visual Arts | February 9, 2017

Peabody Essex Museum's wearable-art exhibit

Fashion collides with high art at the Peabody Essex Museum.

by Nell Porter-Brown

From The March-April 2017 Issue

*American Dream,* by Sarah Thomas
Courtesy of World of WearableArt Limited

*Lady of the Wood,* by David Walker
Courtesy of World of WearableArt Limited

Lady of the Wood, by Alaskan carpenter David Walker, is just that: a mannequin sporting an eighteenth-century ball gown crafted entirely of mahogany, maple, cedar, and lacewood. Walker steamed, bent, and polished timber to form a hooped skirt and “puffy” sleeves cuffed by fine-grained lacewood that matches a dainty bodice. Some 32 such ingenious ensembles—selected from winning entries in New Zealand’s annual design competition WOW® World of WearableArt^TM—appear at the Peabody Essex Museum through June 11. For 25 years, the popular competition has drawn a diverse set of artists who vie to merge fashion and high art. New Zealand jeweler Sarah Thomas, inspired by the shiny, sleek lines of vintage cars, created her own spunky, don-able version, American Dream, from papier-mâché, builder’s foam, and vinyl. It lacks an engine, but who wouldn’t want to cruise through a party dressed in the ’57 Chevy Bel Air classic?

Published in the March-April 2017 print issue under the headline “Dress for Excess,” in the Harvard Squared section.

You might also like

A photograph of the inside of the From Iran exhibit at the Harvard Peabody Museum

Tk tk Iran

Artist Azadeh Akhlaghi reconstructs moments of Iranian political upheaval in a series of meticulously staged images.

Label showing the anatomy of a worker bee, featuring a detailed illustration.

Science and art capture the microscopic natural world.

Five individuals are posed in a monochrome outdoor setting near a cinderblock building, some standing, some seated.

Photographer and writer Morgan Smith chronicles life beyond the violence in Ciudad Juárez and other Mexican towns.

Most popular

Historic building entrance featuring tall columns and a rounded arch doorway.

A new proposed structure, layoffs, and a five-day-a-week in-person work mandate will take effect by fall.

Image of Uncle Sam walking away with ladders, leaving a brown hand grasping from a hole in the ground

Reparations for Slavery?

Documenting the history and scope of federal “reparatory compensation.”

Drawing of a college student seated at her desk in her bedroom at home, looking at images of friends on her computer screen. On the desk are a book and a bowl of salad, reflecting recommendations made by friends previously.

The Undergraduate considers friendships on and away from campus

The Undergraduate considers friendships on and away from campus.

Explore More From Current Issue

Racing driver gives a thumbs up from inside a car, wearing a helmet and safety gear.

Alumni Profiles

Harvard graduate and NASCAR racer Patrick Staropoli on pedals, attention, and fearlessness.

Colorful abstract design resembling an octopus with intricate swirls and patterns.

Research

Growing liver implants, mapping the sense of smell, and journalism at risk

Black and white photo of Joseph Murray in a white lab coat sitting in an office.

Alumni Profiles

Nobel Prize recipient Joseph E. Murray dedicated much of his career to organ transplant surgery.