“In America: An Anthology of Fashion” Highlights Unsung Designers of the Past

Marguery Bolhagen, 1961

The first part of the Costume Institute’s exhibit, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion was an analysis of 20th and 21st-century American fashion designs and contemporary clothing, including newer designers like Bode, Christopher John Rogers, Puppets and Puppets, and No Sesso, as well as traditional American heritage houses Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger. In contrast, the second part exhibit, In America: An Anthology of Fashion will be a deeper dive into designs created in the 19th century leading into mid 20th century, with 100 men and women’s pieces showcased in The Met’s American Wing period room. For part two, curators Andrew Bolton and Sylvia Yount diverged from traditional exhibitions showings by inviting 8 film directors — Janicza Bravo, Sofia Coppola, Julie Dash, Tom Ford, Regina King, Martin Scorsese, Autumn de Wilde, and Chloè Zhao to narrate their interpretations of each room within the American Wing. Each filmmaker will take the viewers through their lens of highlighting “the individuals who defined this period” by creating cinematic vignettes that will be displayed simultaneously during the exhibit. Back to taking place on the first Monday in May, the full exhibit will be open to the public on May 7th, with both parts closing on September 5th, 2022. Andrew Bolton, head curator at the MET, shared the upcoming exhibition’s theme during this week’s preview; when asked about the main differences between the two exhibits. Bolton said, “part one is more about language while part two is focused on storytelling. Telling us designers, tailors, and dressmakers stories who have been often forgotten in the past.”

The designers featured in An Anthology consist of Battle of Versailles designer Stephen Burrows, Anne Klein, Bill Blass, Charles James, Jessie Franklin Turner, Halston, and more. Part one is set to include 70 new pieces with 30 or so new designers including Hanifa, Grace Ling, Batsheva, LaQuan Smith, and more.

All images by Betty Sze
Written by Anire Ikomi