There are no upcoming posts.
Elsa Peretti (American, born Italy, 1940). Belt, 1973. Sterling silver and enamel. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 2004 (2004.20).
With few exceptions, Elsa Peretti’s jewelry is inspired by nature or the gesture of the human hand, whether as spontaneous calligraphy or the pressure of the thumb in clay. Read more »
Helmut Lang (Austrian, b. 1956). Evening Dress (detail), fall/winter 2004–5. White mushroom-pleated silk organza, white silk chiffon, and natural horsehair. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mr. Helmut Lang, 2006 (2006.76).
Helmut Lang designs accrued “street cred” because their uncompromising modernism was also informed by the edginess of the urban demimonde. Read more »
Stephen Jones (British, b. 1957). “Crow” Mask, 2006. Black coq feathers, black plastic, black neoprene, and gold plastic and rhinestone. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Alfred Z. Solomon-Janet A. Sloane Endowment Fund, 2006 (2006.209).
The Costume Institute commissioned this mask for the 2006 exhibition “Anglomania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion.” Milliner Stephen Jones was given the problem of creating a headdress for a Christian Dior Haute Couture gown by John Galliano Read more »
Left: American Underdress, ca. 1827. White cotton and broderie anglaise trim. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Judith and Ira Sommer Gift, 2006 (2006.29.1); Right: American Dress, 1830–35. White cotton with white cotton lace trim. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Judith and Ira Sommer Gift, 2006 (2006.29.2).
The underdress shown at left is poised between a period of classicism, with its columnar silhouette, and eclectic romanticism, with its burgeoning skirt forms. Read more »
Manolo Blahnik (Spanish, b. 1942) and Damien Hirst (British, b. 1965). “Dot” Boots, 2002. White cotton canvas with polychrome polka-dot print. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund, 2003 (2003.52a, b).
In an intersection of contemporary art and fashion the shoe designer Manolo Blahnik worked with Damien Hirst on this design. Read more »
Yohji Yamamoto (Japanese, b. 1943). Dress, spring/summer 2005. Red hand-pleated silk crepe. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2006 (2006.37).
When asked about the inspiration for his beautifully pleated gowns, Yohji Yamamoto replied equivocally, “Maybe Mme Grès—maybe.” Read more »
Charles Frederick Worth (French, born England, 1826–1895). Court Gown and Train, 1888. Pink silk satin with matching silk tulle and lace applied trim, metallic sequin and purple stone embroidery, and applied white ostrich plumes with court train of printed ivory, pink, and olive green devoré silk velvet. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2007 (2007.385a–m).
The Englishman Charles Frederick Worth is considered the inventor of the modern fashion system, with its seasonal menu of constantly evolving styles. The couture house he established in the mid-nineteenth century was considered the preeminent Parisian fashion establishment of its day. Read more »
Michele Oka Doner (American, b. 1945) and Nancy Gonzalez (Colombian, b. 1953). “Gleaner” Bag, 2006. Sterling silver and dark bronze crocodile skin. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Nancy Gonzalez, 2007 (2007.377.2).
Nancy Gonzalez, whose handbag designs are characterized by the unusual manipulation of exotic skins, collaborated in this example with Michele Oka Doner, a sculptor known primarily for such large-scale projects as her bronze and terrazzo floor installation at the Miami Airport. Read more »
Rei Kawakubo (Japanese, b. 1942) for Comme des Garçons (Japanese, founded 1969). Headdress by Stephen Jones (British, b. 1957). Ensemble, spring/summer 2006. Navy wool gabardine, red, yellow, white, and black tartan cotton, and yellow, brown, and white tartan wool; silver metal and brown leather; Union Jack–printed cotton. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Comme des Garçons, 2007 (2007.306a–d).
Rei Kawakubo has on occasion displayed a surprising affinity for contemporary British street fashion. Some of her earliest Paris collections alluded to punk and neo-romantic styles through the filter of her own strong deconstructivist aesthetic. Read more »
French Suit, 1810–12. Green silk voided velvet with yellow and ivory silk filament fleck motif and ivory silk satin piping. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 2003 (2003.45a–c).
The incipient classicism of the last years of the reign of Louis XVI continued to develop and inform post-revolutionary styles. This suit’s apparent austerity compared to the elaborately embroidered examples in vogue during the ancien regime suggests a concession to the mood of the tumultuous times. Read more »