“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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georgia hughes
September 29, 2023 at 5:13 pm
Those are wild
cecizilla
September 29, 2023 at 5:18 pm
at least it’s butterflies and not goldfish
Danielle
September 30, 2023 at 2:12 pm
I definitely thought it was fish at first.
E G
September 29, 2023 at 5:25 pm
If they accidentally fall, the dress will break??
Regina Rodriguez
September 29, 2023 at 5:32 pm
Stunningly graceful, magical and so gorgeously alive ????
???????????????????? ⋆.ೃ࿔*:
September 29, 2023 at 5:33 pm
how divine!
Fairy Cloudz
September 29, 2023 at 5:44 pm
Live butterflies? ????
♡fictional lover♡
September 29, 2023 at 6:04 pm
Theres literally butterflys in there what is wrong with people????
Sesilja ?
September 30, 2023 at 4:33 am
Yeah if they are real I think it is pretty awful tbh
estherification.cоm
September 30, 2023 at 6:53 am
Lol what about it? I’m sure they’re safe
TPM
September 29, 2023 at 6:15 pm
Lovesit ????
TrueGlacier
September 29, 2023 at 6:15 pm
Plans for the next girls day ✨
This Old School
September 29, 2023 at 8:09 pm
Just call it what it is, performance art . Because ain’t nobody wearing that nowhere.????
sanrichlo
September 30, 2023 at 3:15 am
I don’t think anyone was under the impression that this was intended for anything but the runway love
????fooking avocados????
September 30, 2023 at 3:56 am
There are two types of runways….wearable and not wearable….everyone knows this????
Anatia
September 29, 2023 at 8:14 pm
Poor butterflies ..
sanrichlo
September 30, 2023 at 3:16 am
they seem fine, seems like a normal terrarium they’d be in and they’re most likely not in there for very long
Anatia
September 30, 2023 at 10:20 am
@sanrichlo I still prefer to think of butterflies as an insect in nature than a decoration in a dress ????
sanrichlo
September 30, 2023 at 1:09 pm
@Anatia I mean I totally get that but I think they’re fine lol
Jenn Moore
September 29, 2023 at 8:31 pm
They look like pretty jellyfish ✨
Rebekah Kirkendoll
September 29, 2023 at 8:42 pm
This is absolutely ridiculous!! ????♀️ These so-called fashion designers need to quit their jobs and find another profession bc this ain’t it!
????fooking avocados????
September 30, 2023 at 3:59 am
I think you don’t know anything about runway….these aren’t ment to be wear they just show creativity, until and unless they say that this collection will be available
astari djatmiko
September 29, 2023 at 11:08 pm
How to wash it?
Fern Fernis Fernie
September 30, 2023 at 12:43 am
can you give credit? who is this designer?
ㅇ
September 30, 2023 at 1:14 pm
It’s Jun Takahashi ‘s show
Royeux
September 30, 2023 at 12:55 am
Gurl…
Sharon Damongeot
September 30, 2023 at 3:19 am
Creepy poor girl having to do that for money.
pancake moon
September 30, 2023 at 4:34 am
Wow! Magical!
ariana khan 09
September 30, 2023 at 5:27 am
Tell me how to sit in that dress…kuch b..
Elizabeth Dickerson
September 30, 2023 at 7:15 am
I hope this is a shoe designer ????
Nusrat Balot
September 30, 2023 at 7:19 am
Yeah but how to seat ???
ㅇ
September 30, 2023 at 1:17 pm
This is Undercover designed by Jun Takahashi
Cat Ngaum
September 30, 2023 at 2:46 pm
how could you sit down with this dress
HAüS DECO STüDiOs
September 30, 2023 at 3:11 pm
The design is kool, the presentation is def NOT, with the creepy depressing music and the way the girls are walking with the scared expressions on their faces
KikaKlaus
September 30, 2023 at 3:21 pm
Ridiculous