Parsons presents the first New York exhibition of the work of designer Giorgio di Sant’Angelo, an innovative Italian-born American designer from the 1960s through 1980s who explored the ways in which garments truly become the wearer’s second skin.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012 – Friday, December 14, 2012

Parsons School of Design, Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, 66 Fifth Avenue

Admission: Free and Open to the Public, Opening reception: December 4, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

As Giorgio di Sant’Angelo famously asserted in the 1970s, the body was to be the guide to the designed silhouette.  Rather than a garment altering the shape of the body, the body was celebrated and glorified through Sant’Angelo’s work.  Avoiding any type of zipper and or button was his specialty, evoking an incredible sense of freedom for women.  Playing with texture, transparency, and newly discovered fabric technology, Sant’Angelo examined the relationship between exposure and concealment.  This exhibition emphasizes clothing’s intimate connection with the body—the idea of creating a second skin through fashion.  A highlight from the exhibition is a nude sequined jumpsuit worn by Naomi Campbell and featured in an editorial shoot for Harper’s Bazaar in 1991.

The works on view are drawn from the Parsons Fashion Archive—a collection of nearly 10,000 garments, including a number of pieces donated to Parsons by the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Sant’Angelo works were originally donated to the Met by Parsons faculty member Martin Price, Sant-Angelo’s design assistant and partner, who has been an instrumental force in keeping Sant’Angelo’s spirit alive. The exhibition is curated by graduate students in the MA Fashion Studies, MA in the History of Decorative Arts and Design, and Master of Architecture program at Parsons under the supervision of faculty member Francesca Granata.  A special thank you to Tae Smith, Independent Conservator, Designer and Installer, for her guidance in the installation process.

The Fashion Curation course is comprised of Parsons graduate students from Fashion Studies (MA), History of Decorative Arts and Design (MA), and Architecture (M.Arch): Elizabeth Black, Bethany Camarati, Alicia Chiu, Chelsea Gordon, Sara Idacavage, Kimberly Jenkins, Rachel Kinnard, Jessica Su-Yin Kwok, Rebecca Lazar, Jennifer McDonough, Laurel McEuen, Meagan Proctor, Nicole Rivas, Molly Rottman, Morgan Sedgley, and Emily Shapiro

Please join us for the exhibition opening on December 4, 2012 from 6:00-8:00 pm, light refreshments will be served.