Pulp FASHION – Paper Art

Last week I visited the fantastic exhibit at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco … Pulp Fashion by Belgian artist, Isabelle de Borchgrave.  The fashion was life-size period costumes made from nothing other than paper and paint (of course it was either glued or stitched together).  Not only did I thoroughly enjoy her beautiful, realistic creations, but I really appreciated the thorough explanation of her process.  The video was well done and you could get “up close and personal” with her art.

The costume time periods ranged from the renaissance period to modern-day Coco Chanel.

De Borchgrave uses stencils and other techniques to re-create the uniformity of fabric and I especially liked the use of metallic paint.  That really made it look like silk.  The foundation paper is quite thick and looks to be very heavy and resilient.  The lens paper lace was fantastic and all the tucks and pleats … mind-boggling!  Beads and hair pieces, and even the hair itself, if necessary, was made from paper.  Every piece was a little different and had a different flair and inspiration.  All the pieces were exhibited on simple paper mannequins.

In the last exhibit room was a presentation of costumes De Borchgrave created using actual paintings in the Legion of Honor for inspiration.  They were incredible!

At the end of the day … we decided that it was impossible to decide on a favorite.  We even tried to break it down by room,  Everything was beautiful and different.

Not only did I have a great day with my good friend, Linda, but was really inspired by the creative use of paper and stencils and how it could be translated into the “real thing”.  I have pulled out the mylar, the textile paints, and the tees to create my own stencils and give it a go.  My creative juices are flowing!!