The stories clothes tell: Fashion meets art in this exhibit
On most days, the roomy second-floor unit at 5923 Algier corner Jacobo Streets in Poblacion, Makati, holds racks of gorgeous rental garments for various occasions. Other times, the space gives way to pop-ups, workshops, and intimate fashion events.
Founded in 2018 by Cindy Bayot, Pam Quiñones, and Maica Salud Tady, Vestido was conjured to bridge the gap between love for fashion and regard for sustainability by renting out stylish outfits from fashion girlies’ closets.
For this year’s “10 Days of Art” (Feb. 15 to Feb. 23), Vestido Studio transforms into an art gallery as it joins the art month event for the first time. “We wanted to extend the dialogue of rewear and sustainability,” Bayot told Lifestyle during the artist reception on Tuesday.
In “Worn Stories,” Vestido pieces thread together stories as told through the language of five select lenswomen.
Photographic prints of various sizes tackling varied facets of femininity speckle the pristine space, conceived by multidisciplinary artist Mano Gonzales, asserting fashion photography’s identity as fine art.
Shaira Luna’s nostalgic touch in “Bishops” speaks of softness as it smudges the line between fantasy and reality in her exploration of the ephemeral nature of beauty.
In contrast, French photographer Camille Robiou Du Pont’s high-contrast photographs in “Aether,” shot in Siargao, feel like the jarring moments between dreaming and waking, full of feminine power in all its freedom and mystery.
“Morphogenesis” alludes to Andrea Genota’s vision of the human experience being in a “perpetual state of transformation” as it offers glimpses of identity, growth, and self-discovery.
Colin Dancel redefines the clothes in “Smiling makes your day better,” demolishing and reframing the idea of fashion and catching it almost in the midst of mutation.
Lastly, Tokyo-based Regine David’s female gaze challenges and obscures perceptions on gender identities in “Beyond the Binary,” with androgynous figures teetering on the edges of masculinity and femininity.
“Worn Stories” also features sculptural works by Gonzales, created from combining and reforming Vestido dresses to produce something completely removed; as well as “Vestido Time Capsule,” a video installation by filmmaker Judd Figuerres that archives the memories and experiences of Vestido girls who have either brought a part of their lives into the community or shared in those experiences as they continue telling new stories with their rented fashion pieces.
