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[title]In the museum world, spring is a time of high anticipation: It’s when the Metropolitan Museum of Art unveils its annual fashion exhibit. On display beginning Thursday 9, “PUNK” is the latest show from inventive Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, whose 2011 blockbuster,“Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” was one of the most successful in the Met’s history. (It pulled in around 660,000 visitors, many of whom spent hours waiting in lines that wound around the museum.) This year’s collection features some 100 garments, juxtaposing original punk threads from the mid-’70s with their high-fashion and prêt-à-porter counterparts, designed by the likes of Dior, Versace and Helmut Lang. The overt irony here—that items representing a genre that eschewed capitalism (consider the Dils track “I Hate the Rich”) will be displayed alongside big-name brands—will likely prompt die-hard punk fans to flip the bird. But for the rest of us, the exhibition should provide an excellent opportunity to explore the inflammatory subculture’s impact on haute couture.
The garments are displayed in seven galleries, each organized around a theme and represented by a punk icon; the rooms will also feature video and audio installations. Some cover important hubs of the explosive musical movement: One is dedicated to famed Bowery club CBGB, where bands like Television, the Ramones and Blondie played; another transports viewers to 430 Kings Road in London, where Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren sewed original garments for the Sex Pistols in their SEX boutique (later renamed Seditionaries). Other rooms focus on punk’s do-it-yourself aesthetic, whereby original techniques—such as drawing on a T-shirt with a black marker or fastening a rip with safety pins—continue to be mirrored by labels such as Givenchy, Zandra Rhodes and Rodarte. The D.I.Y. Hardware gallery, for instance, which is represented by late provocateur Sid Vicious, looks at the frequent use of studs, chains, razor blades and a host of other items guaranteed to cause trouble at airport security. One well-known example: Gianni Versace’s revealing safety-pin dress, worn by a voluptuous Liz Hurley, above, in 1994.
No doubt there’s plenty to see here, and an exhibition packing this much punk power is certain to draw crowds. The Met staff has pledged to do what they can to keep long lines at bay. But when punk is paired with Prada, all bets are off.
“PUNK: Chaos to Couture”: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave at 82nd St (212-535-7710, metmuseum.org/punk). Thu 9–Aug 14; see Museums, page 28, for hours and prices.