If I was 10 years old again, I would have felt reverence, a sense of piety at being at the foot of an all-powerful being even if it was a mere statue, its glassy eyes looking straight ahead as if it didn’t deign to look down at me, a mere child (this was how I felt every time we went to Church).
But I’ve grown older and while not necessarily distant from the religion that I grew up with (I still fervently say my Hail Marys every night before I go to sleep), I have enough wisdom now I think to see through the pageantry and be able to appreciate what it really is - just very pretty, ornate old stuff.
Guo Pei’s creations have the inertness of Catholic religious statues; you’re only ever inspired if you’re a believer. Because outside of that, would anyone really imagine themselves teetering on 6-inch platforms passing off as footwear and walking on them while dragging a 25-kilogram gown?
But Rihanna actually did and this is why haute couture is hardly ever the thing you aspire or pray for in life; let the Gods (and pop stars) have them instead.
Guo Pei: Fashion, Art, Fantasy 郭培 ：时装之幻梦Guo Pei: Fashion, Art, Fantasy 郭培 ：时装之幻梦 is currently showing at the Auckland Art Gallery from December 2023 to May 2024.
