A brief retrospective of the “Punk: Chaos to Couture” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum that closed this past Wednesday.

Punk sentinels at the gate

I loved the capsule special showing manifesting how the fashion world co-opted punk’s details. At first I felt cheated by the Versace pieces, but after all, the exhibit is chaos to COUTURE! Fashion always has and always will take details from other worlds, other scenes, movements, cultures.From Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s London-based Sex shop in 1974 to Versace’s DIY-looking safety pin gown famously worn by Liz Hurley for the “Four Weddings and a Funeral” premiere with Hugh Grant, fashion has “borrowed” design languages from others.

I surreptitiously snapped as I walked the show, so some of my shots are not as clearly focused as I would wish. But I really enjoyed that Rodarte, Givenchy, Junya Watanabe and others were nestled among Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons, Alexander McQueen and Westwood. Fave pieces were the natural muslin conglomerations from Comme des Garçons, but I enjoyed the black garbage bag gowns, too!

McQueen’s taffeta take on black garbage bag dressing