2 For 1: Deer Cape

In my internet travels today I stumbled upon this cape which is quite possibly the best thing I've ever seen. I had to put it up straight away, so I know very little about the designer Christophe Coppens- except the fact that he is Belgian (of course!). It was part of the "Art of Fashion: Installing Allusions" exhibition at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam along with experimental works by Viktor & Rolf, Commes des Garcons, Hussein Chalayan and Walter Van Beirendonck to name a few. (images from we make money not art)



The thing that got me about this cape is that I feel waves of emotion towards it. One the one hand, I think it is hilarious and amazing because well, I've just never seen anything like it before. Who would think of a cape that is shaped like a deer? Genius! But then I started thinking, what if other people just look at it and think it's just another ridiculous fashion indulgence because nobody would wear it? But why wouldn't anyone wear it? Why do designers have to tone down their "show pieces" for retail? If it still keeps you warm and you can move in it then what difference does it make if its plain black wool or checked and shaped like a deer? Then of course I start thinking that there is a lot of ridiculous fashion that I find disgusting, so maybe it's just personal taste. This is something I'm struggling with at the moment, finding the balance between beautiful avant-garde design and scary wearable art. I guess when it comes down to it I love this cape and I would wear it simply for the fact that it would make me laugh all day, and if fashion can't make you laugh then what can?

One last thing... a bit more digging found this image of songstress Roisin Murphy wearing the cape during a performance, and I think she looks pretty amazing. (image from sound bites)