IT’S ABOUT TIME
Timeless Fashion Dazzles at The Met
The Met Gala was canceled this year for obvious reasons, but the Costume Institute exhibit that inspired it is still a go.
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the exhibit, “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” celebrates 150 years of fashion from 1870 through the present day. Viewers are treated to two adjacent galleries, each fashioned as giant clock faces. Each “minute” on the clock features two different looks (past and present) to represent how trends and silhouettes tend to return and disappear over time. For example, a gorgeous princess-line dress from the late 1870s is paired with a similarly-silhouetted “Bumster” skirt from Alexander McQueen’s iconic 1995 “Highland Rape” collection. All of the looks are black, except a stark white dress from Viktor & Rolf’s Spring/Summer 2020 haute couture collection. It serves as the final piece in the exhibit and is meant to represent the future of fashion. The dress is made from upcycled swatches and clearly emphasizes fashion’s increasing direction toward sustainability.
The exhibit was made possible by Louis Vuitton. It includes pieces from the house’s archives, including a leather dress and French-inspired ensemble from the brand’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection (thanks to current Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière). There is also a 2011 piece from Louis Vuitton’s previous Creative Director, Marc Jacobs.
Want to check it out? All you need is an exhibition ticket, which is free with Met general admission. Don’t worry – safety measures are the museum’s number one concern. The tickets are timed and comply with capacity limits, and masks are required. Tickets are limited due to demand, so you may want to reserve them online, but you can try to get one upon arrival.
It’s great to see museums and galleries opening their doors again, especially in New York City after this challenging year. Anyone who loves fashion should reserve tickets now for “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” and because a ghostly Virginia Woolf narrates the whole exhibit, it’s an experience that you don’t want to miss.
