THE MET: THE COSTUME INSTITUTE

An archive of the last 600 years of fashion.

Previously the Anna Wintour Costume Center, the Costume Institute at the Met reopened in 2014. It came back with the exhibit Charles James: Beyond Fashion.

The Space

Easily adaptable for a grand variety of exhibits

A large space that allows for innovation and adaptation, this gallery is able to accommodate various art forms including video, audio, and even wireless tehnology. With a space like this, it makes it much easier for viewers to interact with clothing in a novel form--pushing the boundaries of the traditional and creating a far more attention-grabbing exhibit

Past Exhibits

The Costume Institute has hosted works from various famous fashion designers and brands from all across the world. This has included works from Chanel, Alexander MCQueen, and Rei Kawakubo among many others. The Met has also hosted many thematic exhibits that have explored concepts such as the dynamic between man and machine or fashion in Catholicism. In Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology (2016) and Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (2018) respectively.

Funding and Cultural Impact

In order to fund and continue this division of the Metropolitan Museum, a gala is held every year. It is the popularly known Met Gala. Here, celebrities such as musicians, artists, and actors gather dressed in theme once a year. It is a large event in popular culture as it is a common occurrence for people to rate the Met Gala outfits for fun. It is interesting to see every year who will push the boundaries and how various people interpret the theme. This year, 2021, the theme was America and the Met Gala before it (2019 since there was not one in 2020) the theme was camp. It can be seen from these two examples that the themes are potential outlets for bold personal and political expression as the world develops into a more diverse and accepting space. It is important to note that fashion has always been a form of self-expression, so it is great to see that the Met Gala embraces this and is not conservative in their themes.

The Met's costume collection is vast, and, if given the opportunity, is one you should be sure to visit.