beauty call

Of all the fabulous, wearable fashion in this month’s Vogue, the most striking spread is Monsters, INC, in which Raymond Meier shoots fall’s hottest fur accessories modeled atop performance artist Nick Cave’s very furry soundsuits. Like a psychedelic Where the Wild Things Are or an edgy Dr. Seuss illustration, Cave has captured every imagined childhood monster in his suits, right down to the pile of laundry that comes alive—the suit sporting a Marc Jacobs bag is made entirely of socks—and has made them fun.

Cave’s soundsuits as Meier has captured them are fanciful, outlandishly attractive and as well-crafted as any couture, but their visual appeal is only the beginning of their wonder. The first suit began as a sculptural costume constructed from thousands of twigs and never meant to be worn. Cave donned it on a lark and discovered that the twigs’ rustling and clattering when he moved crated a beautiful visual and audile effect. He ultimately chose to combine the suits’ dramatic rhythm with dramatic and rhythmic African dance; his goal is to make people “step outside of themselves” and “delight within a moment.”

Below is a video of UCLA world arts students performing in Cave’s suits at the opening gala for the Los Angeles Art Show in January.

I can’t decide which one I like more: the enchanting abandon of soundsuits in action, or Vogue Fasion Editor Elissa Santisi’s genius in combining light-hearted art with fashion—an art that is often taken too seriously. Either way, Cave’s suits do their job—both are absolutely blissful.

Images Via The Fashion Spot. Thanks to UCLA for the video.