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44 I t's going to be an international fashion moment: This spring, the Dallas Contemporary is the site of two blockbuster exhibitions. "Vivienne Westwood: Get a Life" is a punchy exploration of the radical design and social activism of the legendary English designer, while "Birds" explores the decades-long collaboration between famed Italian photographer Paolo Roversi and the avant-garde Japanese house Comme des Garçons (both exhibits run March 29 to August 23). The Westwood show will be an immersive installation that sprawls over 12,000 square feet — the largest exhibition space in the museum. It will include more than 60 objects, including fashion, photography, video, and graphics. The Roversi show — the first time his collaboration with Comme des Garçons has been the subject of an exhibition — will have more than 50 photographs, many of which have never been seen before. The pair of shows builds on Dallas' reputation for exciting fashion exhibitions, BY WILLIAM MIDDLETON FABULOUS RENEGADES from Jean Paul Gaultier in 2011 to Iris van Herpen in 2017 and Christian Dior in 2019, all at the Dallas Museum of Art, and Jeremy Scott and Mario Sorrenti's photographs of Kate Moss among last year's fashion-themed shows at Dallas Contemporary. "We are the home of Stanley Marcus," says Peter Doroshenko, executive director of the Dallas Contemporary. "And he often did the reverse: Before there was a great Beaux Arts museum, he was doing Impressionist shows with a quality that you could only see in major East Coast cities. Now, every contemporary artist is DJ'ing or working with fashion or writing, so it makes sense for us to engage as much as possible with fashion or fashion photography." The Dallas Contemporary kicks off both exhibitions Saturday, March 28, with its S/S20 Gala (tickets start at $1,500, with tables going for up to $150,000). The irreverent evening honors Vivienne Westwood and toasts Paolo Roversi; the dress code is "Punk-chic, but make it sustainable" for a night of dinner, dancing, DJ's, and an auction by Christie's. "Designers and photographers and artists will be there, so guests can meet everyone in person," Doroshenko says. "We try not to be the same as others — this is almost an anti-gala gala. And we want people to leave with a smile on their face, which is not always the case with other events." Zoe Bonnette, a gala co-chair, says that Westwood is planning a high-energy happening to end the evening. Although the details are still being finalized, Westwood's idea is to lead the hundreds of guests out of the museum and into their very own protest. "It's going to be fabulous," says Bonnette, who hopes to track down a vintage Westwood number for the evening. "Vivienne Westwood is a wonderful designer, an activist, and such a strong woman. Her work is perfect for now — very modern. Then, to have the work of Paolo Roversi and Comme des Garçons, also with very strong points of view and their own followings … These two exhibitions go so well together: They really are art." COURTESY JUERGEN TELLER; © VIVIENNE WESTWOOD The radical work of Vivienne Westwood and Paolo Roversi will ignite two exhibitions at the Dallas Contemporary this spring. They're the kind of shows that build Dallas' reputation as a serious fashion city — and both have an opening-night gala that might end in a protest march. Dame Vivienne Westwood