Tempting style lovers out of the mall and into museums for a low-impact fashion experience, fashion-focused  museum exhibits are increasingly entertainment-driven.

Beyond last week’s red carpet fashion frenzy–the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, known as the “Met Ball”–the event marked the opening of the Costume Institute’s latest exhibit: “Punk: Chaos to Couture.”

Since the MET’s landmark Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty show attracted huge crowds in 2011, museum programming committees have got the message and planned more fashion-themed exhibits. Capturing the imaginations of fashion’s growing audience, the new amped-up shows explore the industry as a mirror of cultural values and highlights our common histories as entertainingly as possible.

Here are four must-see fashion exhibitions of 2013 to check out:

Image: RISD

1. “Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion.” RISD Museum, Providence, Rhode Island. From April 28 – August 18, 2013

As menswear increasingly shares the spotlight with women’s fashion, this timely exhibit “celebrates the dandy, tracing the variety of ways in which this personality has blazed through two centuries and investigating where he resides today.” Focusing on the tailored, bespoke garments and the figures that wore them, expect to see pieces once owned by George “Beau” Brummell, Oscar Wilde and modern-day dandies like Thom Browne and Waris Ahluwalia.

Image: MET

2. “Punk: Chaos to Couture.” Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. From May 9 – August 11, 2013

Like grunge, punk was a revolution in music that heavily influenced the fashion scene. This year’s Costume Institute exhibition takes a look at punk’s style influence from mohawks and studded leather jackets to safety pin jewelry. With work from Givenchy, Rodarte and Vivienne Westwood, the show examines the “relationship between the punk concept of ‘do-it-yourself’ and the couture concept of ‘made-to-measure.’”

Image: Phaidon

3. “Future Beauty: Thirty Years of Japanese Fashion.” Seattle Art Museum, Washington. From June 27 – September 8, 2013.

Take a peek at some of fashion’s most avant-garde silhouettes and innovative creations at this exhibit, which promises to show how three decades of designs by Japanese designers revolutionized the way we think of fashion and “reshaped our Western aesthetics of dress.” Designs by Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Kenzo Takada and Junya Watanabe will be part of the exhibit.

Image: De Young

4. “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk.” Brooklyn Museum, New York. From October 25, 2013 – February 23, 2014

After stops in Dallas and San Francisco, this engaging multimedia installation will open for its only East Coast venue at New York’s Brooklyn Museum. Tracing the extraordinary output of one of France’s most iconic designers, the show explores themes of equality, diversity and creative virtuosity. Highlights include the notorious conical bra and corsets Madonna wore during her 1990 Blonde Ambition World Tour and 2006 Confessions Tour plus costumes from film The Fifth Element.

Top Image: MET

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ColumnFrom the Sidewalk to the Catwalk: Step into his world, and he might just sweep you off your feet.

In the scheme of things, couturier Jean Paul Gaultier may not, on the surface anyway, appear to be a “conscious” artist. An afternoon at San Francisco’s DeYoung Museum might change your mind.

Describing his exhibition as a “new adventure” by way of mixing collections to show the ideas that are important to him, Gaultier has succeeded in making a case for his combination of wit, cultural inclusion and sex appeal as artistic expression.

It goes without saying that his attention to detail and superb craftsmanship live up to the name of couture. But another pattern emerged from viewing the exhibit: Gaultier lifts us into another realm with his passion.

He says:

“I like character, special character that is different.  I try to show that, to communicate with the people.”

Indeed the exhibition uses clever tech to show mannequins speaking about the clothes they are wearing. The effect is astounding, not in its technical prowess, but rather in an almost analog feeling like the early animatronics used in the original exhibits at Disneyland. The lighting, audio, video and clothing combines to take us into Gaultier’s mind, gently, humorously and willingly.

It doesn’t hurt that the curators and designer let us close enough to touch the clothes (which of course is not permitted). Getting right up on that level of detail is a rarity. And therein lies the transformational quality of the experience. It is as though by being with his designs, one enters Gaultier’s wildly creative and inviting mind. In doing so we are left with an overwhelming desire, one that transcends fashion, design and art: he makes us smile.

And on that level of consciousness, we are grateful.

From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, The Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the DeYoung Museum in San Franciscor uns through August 19, 2012.

Photo credit: Dominique Pacheco

Eco, trends, art, creativity and how they tumble through social media to shape culture fascinate EcoSalon columnist Dominique Pacheco. Her trends blog, mixingreality, speaks to these topics daily, and here at EcoSalon, she takes a weekly look at the intersection of eco and art. We call it heARTbeat.

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The trend for corset cuts and waist flattering peplums highlights a return to the hourglass shape. Is it a sign of curvier times to come?

Save for the ladies of Mad Men, it’s been a while since the hourglass figure had a fashion moment. Recent runways were loaded with corset cuts and elegant peplum flaring at the waist – so when it comes to tips on spring’s chicest silhouette, it seems it’s all in the hips.

The 1980s were the last time peplum and corset fashion styles were popular, then they were accompanied by exaggerated shoulders, leg of mutton sleeves and most regrettably, giant bows (fortunately 2012’s designers have modernized the waisted looks, pairing them with sleek pencil skirts and skinny pants to maximize their midrift-minimizing magic).

Vivienne Westwood’s Portrait Collection A/W 90-91 corsets were a catwalk expression of punk sexuality.

Before becoming a mass fashion trend, Vivienne Westwood was the first designer of the twentieth century to reinvent the corset in the mid-1970s. One of her most important fashion ideas, they quickly become a signature theme in her work. Modeled from those of the eighteenth century, her corsets flattened and raised the bosom, giving women a unique sense of power and glamor.

Madonna famously wore Gaultier’s corsets during her world-tour in 1990.

Jean Paul Gaultier followed in Westwood’s footsteps designing 1950s inspired corsets in homage to those his beloved grandmother wore. Gaultier’s fetishtistic corsets became iconic when Madonna wore them during her Blond Ambition world-tour in 1990. According to fashion historian Valerie Steele, “No longer the symbol of women’s oppression, the corset had become the symbol of sexual empowerment.”

Dolce & Gabanna’s romantic A/W 2012 collection cemented the trend for corset detailing to continue into the Fall.

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Our guide to this year’s best fashion exhibits.

Did you miss the magical Savage Beauty exhibit at the MET last year?  Take comfort by buying the book – a showstopper in itself – and vow not to miss another this year. Curatorial staff are realizing the particular appeal of fashion exhibits and the increased ticket sales potential. If an article in WWD on how museums are “getting fashionable” is any indication, they’ve cottoned on. “There’s a loyal following — besides the fact that fashion is fashionable,” Pamela Golbin, chief curator at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris was quoted, “There’s something very intimate about clothes.” More and more new fashion exhibits are popping up here in the United States all over the world. Several exciting ones are due to debut this year.

Here are our top 10 don’t-miss fashion exhibits of 2012.

1.  Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion, opens May 10 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Featuring over 80 designs by Schiaparelli and an installation that will give the effect of the two designers being in conversation with one another on subjects such as art, politics and the role of women now and then. With director Baz Luhrman serving as the exhibition’s creative consultant this show promises to follow up on the success of last year’s groundbreaking Alexander McQueen exhibit.

2. FIT NY and the CFDA collaborate to celebrate Impact: Fifty Years of the CFDA at the FIT museum from the 10th of February through until the 17th of April. The leading trade organization of fashion designers presents a tribute to the creativity of American talent and will showcase designs from Halston, Norman Norell, Pauline Trigère, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Rudi Gernreich, Bob Mackie, James Galanos, Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, Michael Kors, Isabel Toledo, Rodarte, and Proenza Schouler.

3. Chanel: Designs for the Modern Woman at the Mint Museum Randolph in Charlotte, North Carolina continues thru February 26. Pioneering clothing that was comfortable, casual and enduring in its construction and style, Coco Chanel (1883-1971) remains a pivotal figure responsible for much of what is still considered modern in women’s fashion in the 21st century.

4. A retrospective of designer Christian Louboutin at London’s Design Museum opens March 28 – July 1 and promises to be as red-hot as his signature soles. The exhibition coincides with the publication of a coffee table book documenting Lobuoutin’s work. Mulholland Drive director David Lynch photographed some of the designer’s most fantastical creations and John Malkovich wrote the foreword.

5. If you are in London, you must check out Fifty Years of James Bond Style at the Barbican, opening in April. In addition to Mr. Bond’s Savile Row tailoring, expect to see  lavish Bond-girl finery by Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Roberto Cavalli, Thierry Mugler, Miuccia Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Emanuel Ungaro and Donatella Versace.

6. Also opening in the 2012 Olympic Games host city is the sure-to-impress Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum 
running May 19, thru January 26, 2013. Featuring evening wear from the V&A’s vast collection of British designers, the exhibit will show a selection of royal ballgowns including a Norman Hartnell gown designed for Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Diana’s “Elvis Dress” designed by Catherine Walker and gowns worn by today’s young royals.

7. Paying tribute to the legendary French designer Yves Saint Laurent — The Retrospective opens March 25 at the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colarado. Organized thematically, the presentation showcases over 200 pieces that explore the full arc of Saint Laurent’s developing style and turbulent inner life.

8. If you didn’t catch The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the Dallas Museum of Art, Texas (runs thru February 12) head to San Francisco’s Deyoung Museum where it will run from March 24  – August 19. Dubbed fashion’s enfant terrible, his often provocative messages are enhanced by the sublime construction of his clothing.

9. Set to open on the last night of Paris Fashion Week, March 9, and run until September 16 at the famous Museé des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, the Louis Vuitton – Marc Jacobs exhibit weighs the careers of both designers. The show aims to compare their bodies of work and offers a potential explanation as to why Jacobs and his ready-to-wear approach could never replace Galliano at Dior.

10. Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century currently at the Groninger Museum in Holland and running thru May 6, celebrates the body-con creations of the great Tunisian-born couturier. Now in his 70’s, the designer recently became an outspoken proponent of slow fashion, saying “Four collections for women, four collections for men, another four collections to sell, and everything needs do be done within four, five months—it’s a one-way course towards emptiness. It’s inhuman.”

Top Image: Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty

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What kind of clothing will our children be looking at in museums in the future?

When I’m in London, my first stop is always the Victoria and Albert museum in Kensington. It houses the world’s best costume collection. Over the years I’ve collectively spent weeks in there, my nose quite literally pressed up against the glass, eyes hungering over panniers, whalebones and crinolettes.

Dress history is the best kind of history to me. Imagining a fellow human, the living breathing body beneath the layers, provides a very direct link from the past to the present. Visiting the First Ladies inaugural dress exhibit at the Smithsonian last month, Jacqueline Kennedy seemed bigger than I’d imagined, Hillary Clinton smaller. Small details for sure, but nonetheless they are details our minds like to inexplicably linger upon.

First Ladies Inaugural Dress Exhibit at the Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.

With the world-class Balenciaga exhibit at San Francisco’s De Young museum wrapping up last weekend, the Jean Paul Gaultier retrospective opening at Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts and the decision to extend the Met’s simply stunning Alexander McQueen “Savage Beauty” show due to record breaking numbers of attendees—clearly the passion for past fashion is striking a chord.

“Fashion exhibitions are thus the height of fashion,” wrote Suzy Menkes for the New York Times earlier this week on the growing trend of high production, money-spinning fashion exhibits. “The explosion of museum exhibitions is only a mirror image of what has happened to fashion itself this millennium. With the force of technology, instant images and global participation, fashion has developed from being a passion for a few to a fascination — and an entertainment — for everybody.”

Alexander McQueen’s “Oyster” Dress at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City

Has the availability of mass-market fashion made us look at and appreciate fashion beyond the immediate trends to analyze changing style in a social context? Or perhaps the values of creativity, custom design and hand production that we so admire in the work of the great designers, deliver greater rewards than our desire for cheap clothing?

You’d think that the kind of clothing, bourgeois and haute couture, shown in museums would be alienating for the majority of us t-shirt and jean wearers. And yet the growing popularity of clothing exhibitions is testament to interest beyond our need simply for clothes.

The great Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer once said that nothing is design until ordinary people use it. People around the world want to enjoy an aesthetic quality in their everyday lives. The worry is whether our desire for an aesthetic translates to design that is meaningful beyond an act of consumption.

Cristóbal Balenciaga at the de Young Museum in San Francisco

I guess the big question is what kind of clothing will our children be looking at in museums in the future?  When I see clothing at fashion exhibits like the Balenciaga show I saw recently, I’m reminded of the ethical couture created by the green designers I cover. Like “the Picasso of fashion,” Cristóbal Balenciaga, they are personally invested in their designs, committed to supporting local craftsmanship and the production of handmade materials. It’s fashion that’s not created from fickle top-down design trends but rather from the visionary spirits of designers who claim the earth’s future through clothing.

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