I feel pretty lucky to live and work in New York and be able to have easy access to some of the best museums in the world. The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is certainly one of my favorite places to enjoy a stroll through the history of fashion and enrich my visual senses with exciting installations. The "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" is the latest exhibition on view May 5 - August 15, 2010 and is the first one that draws from the newly established Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Met. After the Costume Institute Gala featuring Lady Gaga's it is interesting to explore the developing perceptions of the modern American woman from 1890 to 1940 and how they have affected the way American women are seen today. The exhibit focuses on archetypes of American femininity through dress, and reveals how the American woman initiated style revolutions that mirrored her social, political, and sexual emancipation. "Gibson Girls," "Bohemians," and "Screen Sirens," among others, helped lay the foundation for today's American woman. Is Lady Gaga a good representation of today's woman? Maybe... I'd love to hear what you think.
Here is Andrew Bolton, curator at the Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art talking about the process of creating the exhibit. The next interview will be up in a few hours with a closer look into the gowns.
Video interview by Aneta Genova
