American Style on Display
Demi Moore wearing a halter-top column of silver lamé, Emma Watson wrapped in ruffle-seamed one-shoulder white silk, Blake Lively immersed in over-the-shoulder bright peacock ruffles by Marchesa, Anne Hathaway in a ballgown of spangled nude tulle — one by one dozens of movie stars came down the red carpet, each clad in a "preview of coming attractions," because the main event Monday evening was not the starlets’ gowns, but the clothing they had come to see. The party was launching the Metropolitan Museum’s latest fashion exhibit, a show devoted to historic themes that have inspired American style. Although resplendent in a cascade of Oscar de la Renta navy-blue ruffles, evening co-chair Oprah Winfrey downplayed the red-carpet hoopla: "Tonight is about the exhibit." "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" traces through the eras of the 1890s to the 1930s fashion trends that developed into what became known as American style. On display in six circular rotundas are garments tracing the evolution of American fashion, from "Parisian Venus" to "American Diana," from dependence on European ideas of elegance to the independent sensibility of women today. That shape, tall and slender with long limbs, classical features and thick dark hair was quintessentially captured by Charles Dana Gibson, whose mass-media archetypes, the "Gibson Girls," indicated the first emergence of distinct American style. Shown in a seasonal panorama, Gibson Girl mannequins with bouffant upsweep hairstyles wear clothing designed for the active life: casual shirtwaists to wear playing tennis, bifurcated skirts for bicycling, ermine capelets for winter ice-skating and full-dress "Sailor" swimsuits. You don’t have to be a fashionista and you don’t have to be wowed by celebrity to love clothes as presented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You have to appreciate the magnificence of the female form and the uniqueness of art in motion, as this is what the exhibit represents. It will take your breath away. Come to New York City and make this a must see!! Trust me, you will not be disappointed. I always look forward to the Met Gala every spring to see the red carpet looks and then to enjoy what is always a wonderful exhibit. This year, the idea of the self-creation of the American woman through the ages, as reflected in fashion, is a wonderful theme. While the show itself focuses on high-end fashion and couture for the most part, the thoughtful arrangement of the changing styles, the commentaries and cultural insights provided, and the sheer beauty of the clothing is amazing. One thing I would have liked, though: one exhibit showing the fashions adopted by the women who picked up the burden during and went to work in factories and businesses; and it would have been super to see some uniforms honoring the women of the military and nursing professions who blazed many a trail; and of course, it would have been grand to see a little bit of everyday contemporary chic, too. I see so many women who dress beautifully on a budget, look comfortable and confident, and manage to be every bit as compelling and chic as the high society glamazons and celebrities! But like Laurie Racine, I will urge everyone tho can get to the show to take some time and enjoy yet another marvelous Costume Institute installation. It’s worth the lines and the crowds to see those exquisite creations.
