Living, Breathing Art

  David LaChapelle, Daphne Guinness in Water
 2008

Inspiration can strike at any given moment of any given day but I have always believed that the likelihood of this rarity occurring increases greatly when you are in New York City. There is something magical about the city that never sleeps, an air of mystery yet completely transparent. I never would have thought that wandering into FIT on a cold winter day would bring me to epiphany but I guess that is the wonder of NYC, the wonderment of stylite Daphne Guinness.

Guinness, like New York, is surrounded by mystery. While she lives an entirely public life there is something lost about her existence. While she is an anomaly, her style stands out in the crowd and her amazing collection of millennial clothing (1995-present day) is just as awe-worthy.

"There have been many exhibitions about individual fashion designers, but surprisingly few on fashion icons. Yet in order for a look to become fashionable, to move off the runway and into real life, it has to be worn by individuals of great personal style. Daphne Guinness is the very image of rarified personal style. She is fearless about wearing the most extreme fashion, and has been an inspiration to many designers, but she is no mere clothes horse. A serious collection of couture, she is also a creative force in her own right. This individualism, often described as eccentricity, is as the heart of her appeal. Equally important is her respect for the art of fashion," according to the brochure that accompanied the FIT exhibit.

(Left) Alexander McQueen/Spring 2008
(Right) Alexander McQueen for Givenchy
Both from FITNYC.edu

Guinness' exhibit brought to light a side a fashion that very few get to see on a regular Wednesday. A true couture side, where looks from the late, great Alexander McQueen and Christian Lacroix reside next to each other in a dark room reminiscent of the great deep sea. Guinness sees fashion as art. Going through a selection of her couture collection the thought of fashion as art becomes even more prominent.

Each of the six rooms, themed, brought out a different aspect of style that she admires (dandyism, armor, chic, sparkle, evening chic and exoticism).  Her definitions of these common words give even more power to the clothing that was contained in that word's room.

"I'm like a magpie - I love anything that sparkles," said Guinness in the sparkle section. Valentino teases her that he can tell where she's been because of the trails of feathers and beads. It is these feathers and beads, done is such an elegant way that help to set her apart from all other stylites.

Guinness has a fearless sense of style, something that many have a hard time achieving. She does not care what other people think of the way that she looks, only how she feels.

She does not see fashion as something that is a status symbol. She does not wear these couture creations to make herself seem better than anyone else. She dresses to suit herself, her mind and in a way to make her happy. "Fashion today is becoming more beige," she says. "By that I mean, everyone and everything is starting to look the same - almost like a Mao uniform. We should be flying the flag for individually," says Guinness.

YouTube

While the FIT exhibit may now be over, Guinness' style will continue to thrill and strike the fashion obsessed with awe. As seen in the video above inspiration can be found in the modern world. I find some is Daphne Guinness.