“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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Shaun lahert
September 18, 2020 at 5:04 pm
How he talks about the wire with such love and admiration after all these years is great. Great actor with one of the most impressive TV resumes of all time.
Sonny S
September 18, 2020 at 5:15 pm
I LOVED him in Spoils Before Dying.
Maekar I Targaryen
September 18, 2020 at 5:21 pm
I love Michael; awesome guy! And his beard matches his teeth!
Nia
September 18, 2020 at 5:21 pm
So handsome, beautiful skin, amazing actor!
melvina628
September 18, 2020 at 7:47 pm
True!
Michael Shang
September 18, 2020 at 5:24 pm
Vanity Fair staff when announcing the career breakdown video lineup for the year:
“Omar comin’!”
Notta Chancinelle
September 18, 2020 at 5:27 pm
MKW consistently delivers one chilling performance after another.
Brilliant!✨
Vivek
September 18, 2020 at 5:28 pm
You come at the king, you best not miss
B S
September 18, 2020 at 5:33 pm
Amazing!
David Estrada
September 18, 2020 at 5:42 pm
No Incredible Hulk? His performance in that one made me tear up.
Christiaan Tomatenpuree
September 18, 2020 at 5:56 pm
5:54 The Wire
TheOtherSide
September 18, 2020 at 5:58 pm
Such an underrated actor!
MissZ87
September 18, 2020 at 6:00 pm
He is amazing!
Mitch Ravenport
September 18, 2020 at 6:02 pm
This man is just phenomenal in everything he’s been in. Wayyyyy underrated.
Vito Corleone
September 18, 2020 at 6:23 pm
Yo lesson here Bey
‘You come at the king, you best not miss’
Val Dobie
September 18, 2020 at 6:26 pm
He plays such a complex character in Lovecraft. Great actor.
Vito Corleone
September 18, 2020 at 6:26 pm
Money ain’t got no owners, only spenders – Omar Little
MINNIE
September 18, 2020 at 6:30 pm
This man has carried HBO on his back for years.
Ryuko Matoi
September 18, 2020 at 6:40 pm
He played in CSI as a former african warlord who killed lots of Rwandan humans. How did he get that facial scar?
Tia Williams
September 18, 2020 at 6:55 pm
Bar fight on his 26th birthday iirc. He was slashed with a knife or razor.
Ryuko Matoi
September 18, 2020 at 7:00 pm
@Tia Williams ouch
stanford0711
September 18, 2020 at 7:00 pm
Ava being straight up with him ????
Juju Taylor
September 18, 2020 at 7:00 pm
He danced backup for Mya? My 90’s fangirl just fainted lmao.
97 Manny
September 18, 2020 at 7:02 pm
OMAR coming
William Ledbetter
September 18, 2020 at 7:13 pm
HUGE respect for you, Mr. Williams. Your commitment to your craft – to presenting images and stories that reflect our world – is laudable. I only wish more American’s in a position to speak would take ownership of their responsibilities to each other.
fk0015
September 18, 2020 at 7:15 pm
He was a real badass in RoboCop movie. I really like his dialogues.
Vee Pee
September 18, 2020 at 7:42 pm
Not many actors can grab my attention they way he can…Omar, chalky, and the character he plays in the night of are just and amazing examples of the art behind REAL ACTING coupled w equally great writing…
George Costanza
September 18, 2020 at 7:45 pm
He acted with the best rapper alive, then worked with the best director alive, then went on to be in 2 of the best TV shows ever made and more recently he was in one of the best documentaries ever created. And he stood out as an exceptional actor in all of those things. Truly a legend.