On Sept. 8, SCADFash presented Guo Pei: Couture Beyond, the exhibition will show until March 4, 2018. SCAD is elated to announce, the show is the first solo museum exhibition presented in the U.S. by the extraordinary Chinese designer, Guo Pei.
The exhibition places guests in a different space and time. Each dress, a vignette to Gou Pei’s culture. My favorite narrative comes from the gown layered in red and pink rose petals, and a cape the color of royalty: deep red, gold and detailed engravings. In China bold colors were forbidden when she was a child, but her Grandmother would give her Roses to play w
ith as an appreciation of color. The
gown was designed as an homage to her Grandmother and their relationship.
Other pieces consisted of majestic robes, capes, encrusted with Swarovski Crystals, diamonds and lavish embellishments touched by real hands–every detail planted with intent. Perhaps the most popular gown is the one Rihanna wore on the Met Gala 2015 red carpet. The piece is treated almost as a Cinderella gown placed on high stairs for onlookers to view. The dress took Gou Pei almost two years to construct and weighs 55 pounds. Elegant is an understatement– it is a work of art tailored only for a queen.
What is more beautiful than the works themselves are the stories and history that breathe life into each. They are not just glorious fashions to gawk and admire, but they speak to Chinese heritage and breaking social constructs. Make sure you get over to this one- of a- kind showing, until then, here’s a sneak peak of the gallery.
SCAD is partnering with Gou Pei to produce a monograph celebrating the exhibition. The book will showcase Gou Pei’s designs and narratives of her life and is set to publish with Skira Rizzoli in Winter 2018.
“International superstar fashion artist Guo Pei is in a league of her own, as is SCAD, the preeminent source of knowledge in the disciplines we teach,” said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. “It is our honor to partner with Guo Pei and with our friends at Rizzoli to publish the first grand compilation of her work as part of the SCAD Museum Book Collection. Readers will become immersed in the ethereal, magical world of Guo Pei and the wonders she creates.”
SCAD alumni in photography worked on the monograph, and their process of documenting Gou Pei’s designs is shown in a short film in conjunction with the exhibition.
