Androgyny: Thierry Mugler

ANDROGYNOUS SENSUALITY

"Provocative French fashion designer Thierry Mugler, who was originally a dancer, made his Cirque du Soleil debut as costume designer for Zumanity. His costumes are evocative, from sexy black dresses and bodices for the cross-dressing mistress of seduction, Joey Arias, to topless dancers, bondage gear, bejeweled jockstraps, fur, and feathers. Even the ushers are in suggestive Mugler originals (washboard abs on t-shirts for the men and bikini tops and bottoms on dresses for the women). Stephano Canulli, Eleni Uranis, Francine Desrosiers, and Guy Brassard worked as assistants to Mugler.

“The costumes were all made at Cirque du Soleil's ateliers in Montreal,” explains Jack Ricks, head of wardrobe for Zumanity. “We had very detailed sketches and worked very closely with Thierry to recreate his exact designs to fabric.” In fact, they scoured the world for the best possible materials, from silk and lace in Paris to gloves in Portugal. “There is a real sense of luxury to the show,” says Ricks. “There is no full nudity but many of the women are topless.”

One of the more flamboyant characters is Jacobo, described as an androgynous spirit of sensuality. “He is a cross between a man and a woman, and wears everything from an enormous black silk cape to a large stole of black and purple roses (made of velvet and nylon), and a Greek-style wig of molded silicon. “He is a character of temptation who appears with a live snake and wears silver nipple covers,” adds Ricks."

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"The 15 or so actual acts in "Zumanity" constitute a Chinese menu's worth of sexual configurations: androgynous man/androgynous woman; black man/white man; disinterested man/angry woman; sadistic man/submissive woman; exhibitionistic man/sex-hungry women."
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Recently, designer
Thierry Mugler has focused his attention on his couture line and creating scent (including the iconic Angel), but he's making a return to fashion, for one very "special" client - Beyonce.

Last week the the star confirmed on America's 'Today Show', that Mr Mugler will design the costumes for her next world tour, which kicks off in Canada in March.

Beyonce first fell in love with Mugler's designs when she saw some examples of his work on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, at The Costume Institute's, Superheroes show in May.

Since then she has worn vintage Mugler on the cover of her latest release, 'I am Sascha Fierce' and appointed him her Creative Advisor. As well as designing 58 costumes for Beyonce, and those for her backing singers and dancers, Mugler will oversee all other aspects of the tour.

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"If the 1980s are back in fashion, how fare the designers who marked that decade? Thierry Mugler brought to his familiar Amazonian glamour a new interest in fabrics with light and shade. Using geometric cut-outs and inserts, he defined and re-defined the body — until the collection just went off into theatrical drama, like the diva dress covered with a beaded carapace of scarabs."
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Click here to view the Thierry mugler Fashion Show; in Germany. This Fashion show has been embedded as a request by Youtube. All of his slash her models are of the ANDROGYNOUS kind!