Hasta La Ideas

Petite in scale, though hardly diminutive in concept and artistry, Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf‘s retrospective spans 17 years of innovative and boundary-pushing fashion at Antwerp’s Studio Job Gallery.

The exhibit, comprised of more than 30 dolls—one doll to represent each collection they’ve done to date since their idiosyncratic brand’s formation in 1993—epitomizes Viktor Horsting and Rolf Shoeren’s eccentric, often quirky regard for fashion design, the notion of wearable clothing versus wearable art and its extension beyond the human form.

The Lilliputian examples include some of the designers’ most recognizable pieces to date, from a sensational all-white gown from the duo’s first haute couture collection (Spring/Summer 1998) to a full-body “Russian doll” cape from the Fall 199 collection (both pictured above), as well as an exquisite replica of the red quilted “duvet-and-pillow” coatdress from their much-publicized Fall/Winter 2005 collection.

In 2008, the London’s Barbican Centre exhibited a retrospective of Viktor & Rolf’s work, which also included a smaller, earlier collection of dolls modeling their clothes. Both exhibitions further prove the duo’s mastery of miniature costumes.

The show runs through 16 July 2010. See more images, including full-size versions of those pictured, after the jump.