Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of Grotesque in Contemporary Fashion. The study selected the 1990's or after fashion material by the material of both $pr{\hat{e}}t-{\grave{a}}-porter$ collection and haute couture collection based on Europe. These days, the characteristics of grotesque have been categorized into four groups based on the theory of representative scholars of the Post Modernism era. The results are as follows. ${\cdot}$ The devilism creates shocking and destructive cruelty and fear by using frightening object and mysterious and devilish motif which symbolize the death of fashion ${\cdot}$ Hatred produces physical destroy of human body, anatomical expression inside human body, cruelty by naked sex expression, pains, cruel treatment, disillusion and unpleasantness, which have been caused by the disturbance and ideological confrontation of the society, and is said to be a kind of self-confession against dislike and fear of the disclosure of human existence. ${\cdot}$ Playfulness distorts and exaggerates clothes and human body forms, and produces abnormality and mystery because of vague sex identity. The playfulness of fashion can open fixed and closed world and lead it flexibly. ${\cdot}$ Heterogeneity is divided into both primitiveness and virtuality The primitiveness distorts or transforms human body through the human body decoration of primitive race, and expresses a grotesque form combining human being and other animals. It gives a question to the existence of alienated and suppressed life through the world. in which everything is mixed and not separated. The virtuality introduces not only cyborg form combining human being and machines but also state of the art technology factors, so that it emphasizes non-mechanical and non-human grotesque images.
