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Left: Bernard
Willhelm was born in Germany and studied fashion at the Royal
Academy in Antwerp, Belgium, where the curriculum pays great
attention to historic and ethnographic dress. Willhelm has often
been inspired by European folk dress, which he treats playfully.
Middle: The Belgian designer Dries van Noten has been profoundly influenced by non-Western aesthetics, which he identifies with a new way of seeing. Exoticism, he says, “is generally associated with different countries. But for me, it is rather everything that reroutes us from the ordinary.” Right: Multi-ethnic references are central to the work of Dries van Noten, in part because of his interest in fine craftsmanship. Historically, luxury has often been associated with foreign trade goods, imported from countries such as India with illustrious textile traditions. 
November 27, 2007 -
May 7, 2008
Left: Bernhard
Willhelm, ensemble, wool/poly/cotton blend tweed, wool, leather,
and gold corded chain, Fall 2007, France, 2007.45.1, gift of
Bernard Willhelm
Middle: Dries van Noten, ensemble, black rayon/cotton/wool blend, linen, velvet, chiffon, metallic thread, leather, Fall 2006, Belgium, 2007.47.2, gift of Dries Van Noten Right: Dries van Noten, ensemble, grey wool, silk, cotton, leather, sequins, Fall 2007, Belgium, 2007.47.1, gift of Dries Van Noten, photograph by Irving Solero
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