That’s when DACO Curator and Paramount Films Archivist Randall Thropp got to thinking.
“I was in the Gold Cage flipping through to see what we had,” he says. “I realized that nobody gets to enjoy these really high-end designer pieces, and we’ve never showcased this stuff before--it’s just being recycled,” he says. “I started pulling pieces out and realized it all would make a great exhibition.”
That exhibition, Distinctly Paramount: Fashion & Costume, opens at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio on June 5. From May 5 to June 5, visitors can view a pop-up exhibition featuring mood boards and costumes from the film Rocketman.
To Thropp, fashion and costume are a bit like the chicken or the egg. Which came first? We know that fashion imitates costume, and vice versa. It can be hard to separate the two.
“This exhibition is really a marriage of fashion and costume,” he says. “We see fashion as costume and we showcase some really nice designers, and some that people would not normally see.”
The range of designs span the 1920s to 2020.
When pressed to give his favorite costume from the exhibition, Thropp can’t name just one. “One of my favorite pieces is a blouse by Stella McCartney. It’s just beautifully done. And of course the pieces done for The Alienist (television series).”
Thropp says that he hopes the exhibition brings new visitors to DACO. “Get out with your masks on and visit the gem of Central Ohio,” he says.