“Fashion is very much an art form not in spite of the body, but because of it,” says Andrew Bolton, OBE, curator in charge of the Costume Institute. And this year’s exhibition, “Costume Art,” seeks not just to address this tantalizingly complex issue, but to explore it in all its many facets. The central thesis is as simple as it is thrilling: pair existing artworks with corresponding garments or accessories and let your synapses fire. The very layout of the show—broken into sections that move from Biblical nudity to the au courant idea of body diversity to the ways in which we’ve long used clothes not merely to adorn but to subvert and distort the body—indicates just how richly drawn this subject is and why it’s mesmerized artists since time immemorial.
Sinéad Burke, CEO of Tilting the Lens, emphasizes how this exhibit highlights bodies that have traditionally been overlooked, and as someone with a physical disability, she is among those featured. Her body has been memorialized in the exhibition as a custom mannequin, alongside model and musician Aariana Rose Philip, transforming their presence into a lasting part of the narrative around representation, fashion, and identity.
Additionally, this exhibition will be the first in the costume department’s new home, the Conde M. Nast Galleries. Once relegated to a modest 4,500-square-foot space in the museum’s basement, the department will now take flight in a grand, 12,000-square-foot display room on the ground floor, just off the central Great Hall. It is, says Max Hollein, the museum’s director, a symbol of how important clothing has become to The Met’s mission in exploring the many facets of art in the modern age. “We collect paintings, sculptures, textiles, arms and armor, but especially all the fashion,” he says. “And we want to make sure that it’s understood that fashion is a fantastic form of art.”
Featuring testimonials from Misty Copeland, Alex Consani, Gwendoline Christie, Aimee Mullins, Sinéad Burke, Aariana Rose Philip and more.
Director: Nina Ljeti
Directors of Photography: Michael Lopez, Henry Gill
Editor: Evan Allan
Senior Producer: Bety Dereje
Producer: Rashida Josiah
Associate Producers: Anisa Kennar, Justine Ramirez, Lea Donenberg
Camera Operator: Chanthila Phaophanit
Assistant Camera: Kahdeem Prosper Jefferson, Gordan Wong
Gaffers: Billy Voermann, Mary Kalecinska
Swing: Alex Frischman
Audio: Mariya Chulichkova, Joanna Hunt
Set Designers: Ilana Portney, Dana Keren
Production Assistants: Quinton Johnson, Myles Haywood
Runners: Edie Chesters, Rachel Ademidun
Groomer for Andrew Bolton: Shin Arima
Makeup Artist for Sinéad Burke and Alex Consani: Ai Yokomizo
Hairstylist for Sinéad Burke and Alex Consani: Sonny Molina
Makeup Artist for Misty Copeland: Victor Henao
Hairstylist for Misty Copeland: Nai’vasha Grace
Makeup Artist for Aariana Philip: Meadow Soleil Cloud
Makeup Artist for Gwendoline Christie: Daniel Kolaric
Hairstylist for Gwendoline Christie: Joe Kelly
Hair & Makeup Artist for Aimee Mullins: Stèfan Jemeel
Production Coordinator: Tanía Jones
Production Manager: Kristen Helmick
Senior Production Manager: Venita Singh-Warner
Line Producer: Natasha Soto-Albors
Assistant Editors: Andy Morell, Fynn Lithgow
Senior Motion Graphics Designer: Samuel Fuller
Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Entertainment Director: Sergio Kletnoy
Global Talent Casting Directors: Ignacio Murillo, Morgan Senesi
Executive Producer: Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Digital Video: Romy van den Broeke
Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson
VP, Video Programming: Thespena Guatieri
Florist: London Blooming Haus
Photography By Paul Westlake
Images Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Special Thanks: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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@Richdasaint
April 17, 2025 at 12:01 pm
My Favorite Elijah Wood Movie is Maniac (2012) that made me see how much talent this lil mofo really has
@Agent-wn7le
April 17, 2025 at 12:05 pm
This should of been longer bro
@howardron543
April 17, 2025 at 1:32 pm
Part 2 soon… Maybe
@Agent-wn7le
April 17, 2025 at 1:42 pm
@ what is your profile picture 😂
@wayanze
April 17, 2025 at 12:06 pm
Watching Wilfred for the first time and I can’t express how much I adore that show.
@Magenta-maya93
April 17, 2025 at 12:08 pm
Love him sm (as an actor)!
LOTR and most recently in Yellowjackets:)
U can just tell he loves his job. It’s so cool to watch him have fun.
@Sentient_Zee
April 17, 2025 at 12:12 pm
His face when he’s watching Deep Impact.
@NickyMcgims
April 17, 2025 at 12:14 pm
I loved Elijah Wood in the Faculty
@lrrroftheplanetomicronpersei8
April 17, 2025 at 2:13 pm
Great movie and underrated too.
@pumpkinpvtch
April 17, 2025 at 12:20 pm
i love elijah, he seems so cool. his laugh is everything !
@GabaGross
April 17, 2025 at 12:48 pm
My first and still platonic love after more than 20 years 🥰
@insaneswamii
April 17, 2025 at 1:09 pm
Wilfred was a beautiful masterpiece
@f.s-9798
April 17, 2025 at 1:20 pm
I love this guy so much
@UrbanDecayLova247
April 17, 2025 at 1:20 pm
I named my car Wilfred 😂 it really is a hidden gem, great show that only a select few people have seen let alone know about
@theresamilia
April 17, 2025 at 1:20 pm
Loved watching this! ❤
@YouFightLikeACow
April 17, 2025 at 1:26 pm
He loves himself in Yellowjackets lmao
@PoochieVince
April 17, 2025 at 1:36 pm
I just learned he pronounces his name e-lijah and not ah-lijah
@jeksicpeksic
April 17, 2025 at 2:12 pm
Such a shame that he never gets asked about Over the Garden Wall in these kinds of interviews….his voice acting in the show was amazing and i get so giddy whenever he talks about working on that project because it’s has such a special place in my heart yet it rarely gets mentioned!
@BSchmidty
April 17, 2025 at 3:13 pm
He has been in everything and im not complaining
@anns4536
April 17, 2025 at 3:29 pm
This was wonderful — could’ve gone on longer for sure!
@GiantEyeOne
April 17, 2025 at 3:47 pm
He’s the best.