Vanderlyn Panorama room, directed by Tom Ford
The highly anticipated second installment of the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition is finally here. “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” is an intimate look at fashion narratives surrounding American culture with a deeper dive into overlooked designers who haven’t been as celebrated throughout history. To kick off the press preview, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden gave a speech about the power of fashion before diving into a private tour of the exhibition. As far as the difference between the two, part one of the exhibit still on in the Anna Wintour Costume Center, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, was a modern viewing of fashion that has impacted American culture, while “An Anthology of Fashion” gives more recognition to the designers and dressmakers of the past. The second leg took a different approach than previous Costume Institutes’ exhibitions, as head curator Andrew Bolton and the Met’s American Wing asked nine prominent directors to depict their visual interpretation of forgotten designers’ stories, incorporating 100 men’s and women’s pieces created in the 19th century to the mid 20th century into 13 rooms. Directors Tom Ford, Radha Blank, Janicza Bravo, Sofia Coppola, Autumn de Wilde, Julie Dash, Regina King, Martin Scorsese, and Chloé Zhao directed each room and when asked how Bolton decided upon these directors, he said, “We wanted to have directors, which would have interest in the stories themselves and how those stories can reflect their film style or their interests. We were cautious about aligning the room with a director interested in telling that story and who would bring their filming style to enhance that particular story.”
This exhibition brings the realities of American fashion into play, both its celebratory wins and some of the dreadful memories. Pieces featured include works from Ann Lowe, Charles James, Stephen Burrows, and Fannie Criss, who created a thriving business in Richmond just after the abolition. The “Battle of Versailles” room is a standout display directed by Tom Ford, which depicts the competition between American and European fashion designers in 1973 with mannequins positioned in war-like stances. The exhibition opens to the public on May 7 and will run through September 5, which will also be when the first part, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” closes.
Written by Anire Ikomi
Vanderlyn Panorama room, directed by Tom Ford
Frank Lloyd Wright room, directed by Martin Scorsese
Richmond room, directed by Regina King
Vanderlyn Panorama room, directed by Tom Ford
Renaissance Revival room, directed by Julie Dash
Greek Revival Parlor, directed by Julie Dash
Worsham-Rockefeller Dressing room, directed by Sofia Coppola
