Pioneers in Politics and Partying american women: fashioning a national identity at the costume institute by alexandra lotero One may be surprised to learn that the single largest costume collection in the world resides just 40 blocks downtown from campus at the Met. Just over one year ago, the 23,500 objects in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum were transferred to the Costume Institute at the Met, which now holds 31,000 costumes and accessories. Unfortunately, for budding fashion historians, the Institute has no permanent installation, because of the renovation of the 5,000-square-feet galleries. Luckily the spring exhibition, one of only two each year, opened on May 5th. The fashion pieces to be displayed in American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity are primarily taken from the new Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum. The galler-
ies follow the evolution of the American women’s fashion identity from the 1890s high-society “Heiress” to the 1930s celebrity “Screen Siren.” In between, the 1900s “Bohemian”, 1910s “Suffragist,” and 1920s “Flapper” are showcased. The galleries are fitted to recreate the setting where these costumes originally took center stage, including a 1930s cinema and a Louis Comfort Tiffany studio. Period music, and videos of period events will further immerse the visitor in each period as her or she walks through the galleries. The final room will include a documentary connecting the modern American ideal with the archetypes of the exhibition. The combination of styles the average woman could have worn and those available only to the rich and famous provide a picture of what the average woman wore and who her fashion role models could have been. The 1890s “Gibson Girl” archetype, characterized by fashion for outdoor exercise and activity like bathing, horseback riding, and cycling, the 1910s “Suffragist” fashion, and the 1920s “Flapper” pieces may be the most fascinating of the exhibition despite the grandeur of the “Heiress” and “Screen Siren” ball gowns, like the one designed by Travis Banton for Anna May Wong. It is the former styles that show the progress of social and political empowerment by women during the period of the exhibition. The modern identity of the independent American woman owes much to these earlier pioneers in politics, fashion, and partying. The Met also has a daily “Fashion in Art” guided tour, as well as an audio guide tour, “Costume: The Art of Dress,” narrated by fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker. The exhibition runs from May 5th to August 15th and admission is free with CUID.