NEW YORK.- The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will present the traveling exhibition “Fashion in Colors: Viktor & Rolf & KCI,” from Dec. 9 through March 26, 2006. Organized by the Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI), the exhibition explores color as a design element through 300 years of Western fashion and examines changing perceptions of color through various ages and cultures. Cooper-Hewitt will be the first museum outside of Japan to present the exhibition.

Avant garde Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf chose 60 works for the exhibition from KCI’s collection of more than 11,000 Western-style dresses, dating from the 17th century to the present, and conceived a unique color-based installation concept. The costumed mannequins will be installed according to six separate color-saturated schemes (black, blue, red, yellow, multicolor and white), which emphasize and highlight the cultural, spiritual and social associations often linked with each color. Both historic and contemporary works will be featured in each color section and set against a backdrop of the color correspondent with each grouping. As a result, previously unseen details and structures of the clothing will emerge for the viewer, and similar elements and trends will seem to reappear, often used to different ends, centuries later.

“‘Fashion in Colors’ presents a distinctive interpretation of color in relation to design and its impact on modernity, culture, trade and changing tastes,” said director Paul Warwick Thompson. “We’re delighted that ‘Fashion in Colors’ will make its international debut at Cooper-Hewitt, particularly as this is the largest fashion-oriented design exhibition ever held at the museum.”

Exhibition highlights include modern and contemporary masterpieces by designers including Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, Christian Dior, Elsa Schiaparelli, Emilio Pucci, Cristobal Balenciaga, Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons and Viktor & Rolf, along with historical costumes, including late 18th-century gowns and late 19th-century bustle style dresses.

“This exhibition is a dramatic and uniquely thought-provoking examination of fashion and form through the language of color. By seeing the works through the lens of the extraordinary duo, Viktor & Rolf, the exhibition mirrors the museum’s mission of viewing the history of design through 21stcentury eyes” said curatorial director Barbara Bloemink.

“Fashion in Colors” examines relationships between different hues, feelings and functions in historical and contemporary costume, and investigates different perceptions of color around the world. Once used to reflect the wearer’s social status or profession, color now has evolved beyond this strict hierarchy to express personal taste and mood. Technology and cross-cultural trade have also influenced the ways in which colors are used, broadening color options by making once priceless dyes readily available to all. The exhibition’s Black section explores notions of modernity and elegance, as well as the somber attire of mourning. Coco Chanel’s “little black dress” (1920s), a classic example of simple elegance that remains a fashion staple to this day, is contrasted with Viktor & Rolf’s elaborate multicollared jacket and pants set of 2003.