“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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Arif
April 13, 2023 at 2:20 pm
MOTHER
Arif
April 13, 2023 at 2:21 pm
Those Amber Valletta Jil Sander ads really have Pinterest in a chokehold
maari bb
April 13, 2023 at 2:23 pm
she has such a bright personality.
Nyyia G
April 13, 2023 at 2:25 pm
Her Versace looks are my favorite.
Hanabi
April 13, 2023 at 2:26 pm
She is so classy & beautiful. I love how she clarified Harlow moment gracefully.
Bastel Kiste
April 13, 2023 at 2:30 pm
I liked that she spoke a lot about others and not only herself. ❤
Arif
April 13, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Amber having had participated in a handful of important fashion moments is so❤
Luke
April 13, 2023 at 2:41 pm
She’s so fun to listen to
ZephySev
April 13, 2023 at 2:45 pm
A little sad vogue didnt mention the movie “What Lies Beneath” With Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer! one of my fave movies!
BF
April 13, 2023 at 2:47 pm
Never heard of her
SOUTHERN LOUISIANA COOKING WITH KAY
April 13, 2023 at 2:52 pm
2:46
Olive green and gold are my favorite together
SOUTHERN LOUISIANA COOKING WITH KAY
April 13, 2023 at 2:57 pm
4:13
This dress is giving Egyptian goddess in my opinion ????????♀️
Sym
April 13, 2023 at 2:57 pm
I LOVE HER
SOUTHERN LOUISIANA COOKING WITH KAY
April 13, 2023 at 2:58 pm
4:53
You’re eyes are giving me Sarah Jessica Parker. ???????????????????????? Love her
Killah Babe
April 13, 2023 at 3:02 pm
❤
SOUTHERN LOUISIANA COOKING WITH KAY
April 13, 2023 at 3:02 pm
6:43
This is a timeless garnet. You can wear that today. Nostalgic
dragomirW
April 13, 2023 at 3:04 pm
By far, Amber is my absolute number one!
flowrpower
April 13, 2023 at 3:09 pm
what an icon
pir006
April 13, 2023 at 3:13 pm
What an incredibly smart and articulate woman!
Catherine Malian
April 13, 2023 at 3:18 pm
Ejjheytrgrfmehbifisurxftekkddvhitcgsurkhetrnvoiyzytegrffemerirlegitrt
G Leander
April 13, 2023 at 3:22 pm
Truly super!
Hope to see Kristen McMenamy, Karen Elson, Guinevere Van Seenus, Jessica Stam, Chloe Sevigny, Kate Moss (!), and Ms. Linda Evangelista on this series!
Yves Cervantes
April 13, 2023 at 3:25 pm
Real icon
M K
April 13, 2023 at 3:27 pm
Such an intelligent beautiful strong person
NorthwoodFalls
April 13, 2023 at 3:54 pm
What a lovely woman. That retrospective was very nostalgic. It’s funny that girls of my time had favourite supermodels. I don’t know if that’s still a thing. I’m not sure it is on the large scale it was for us. Amber was always one of my favourites and to see how many truly iconic moments she was a part of is impressive.