Caution: Nudity and Rough Sketches Ahead

“His designs were fictitious fantasy, not borrowed from past fashions like most art. He borrowed from the future if that is possible.”
-Edward Ruscha, filmmaker

I’m designing a dance piece right now with a nod to Rudi Gernreich, which makes sense. Before he revolutionized fashion in 1960s, Gernreich was a dancer in Lester Horton’s company. Gernreich was also a study in contradiction. While he can be credited with such mundane but revolutionary innovations as the thong and the ‘No Bra’ bra, Gernreich was much more a modernist than a mod. Like earlier utopian idealists such as the Italian futurist Thayaht who invented the “tuta” – a utilitarian jumpsuit meant to eradicate the tyranny of fashion, Gernreich’s stylistic innovations were a fueled by his belief that “Fashion will go out of fashion.” He designed unisex garments that he thought would bring gender equality, such as the “monokini” pictured above, which unfortunately resulted in more titillation that liberation; and he created memorable images of male and female models dressed identically in elegant caftans with shaved heads. However, unlike today’s visionary designers whose clothing rarely sees a life beyond the studio or catwalk, Gernreich created high fashion for the mass market, and even lent his designs to paper patterns for the seamstress at home. He was a savvy business man who oversaw multiple collections and licensees, and deftly managed to keep his name and work in the fashion and lay press for years, including appearing on the cover of Time magazine in 1967. Indeed, Gernreich seemed to pass up few opportunites, becoming a paid endorser of products ranging from Ronrico Rum to Philadelphia Carpets. After he died, he dedicated his fortune to good works, leaving a substantial endowment to the American Civil Liberties Union earmarked for litigation and education for lesbian and gay rights. While never open about his sexuality, Gernreich had also been one of the anonymous founders of the Mattachine Society.

UPDATE
Here's a photo of two of the finished costumes for Jody Sperling's "A Leg Up":