by Katherine Bernard, Vogue
This year, the Costume Institute celebrates punk fashion, which evolved from anarchist expression into a look fit for the red carpet. But punks weren't the only fashion rebels. In fact, almost all great fashion requires a little taste for counterculture. The best fashion is ahead of its time, projecting an image of the future and shifting society's definition of beauty. Changing minds isn't easy, however. Take Alexander McQueen's low-rise bumster pants, which exposed rear ends on the runway for the first time. What was considered by some to be the tackiest type of exposure was to McQueen a source of great beauty: He felt the lower spine was the most erotic part of the body, and his silhouette elongated the torso in a way that was truly elegant. If you wore low-rise jeans in the early aughts (it is physically impossible that you did not), you owe it to a designer who was bold enough to bare some cleavage of the behind. Caution: The following looks have all been sources of public outcry, but no doubt most of them paved the way for styles that are favorites in your closet now.
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