I'm Andrew Bolton, Curator in Charge
of The Costume Institute, and I'm taking you
on a tour of our most recent exhibition,
In America: An Anthology of Fashion,
which explores defining moments
in 19th and 20th century American fashion.
The show centers around the complex and layered histories
of The Met's American Wing period rooms,
which provide curated windows into over 300 hundred years
of domestic life.
For the exhibition, we've transformed the period rooms
into a series of focused narratives
that reflect larger developments, such as the emergence
of an identifiable American style
and the rise of the named designer as an individual
recognized for their distinct creative vision.
In this way, Anthology also provides a historical grounding
for the companion exhibition, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,
currently on view
in the Anna Wintour Costume Center,
which offers an expansive reflection on defining qualities
of fashion in the United States.
These period room installations take the form
of cinematic vignettes that enliven the stories
and highlight the intimate and immersive aspects
of the rooms.
These fictional tableaux were created
by nine film directors,
Radha Blank, Janicza Bravo,
Sofia Coppola, Julie Dash, Tom Ford, Regina King,
Martin Scorsese, Autumn de Wilde, and Chloé Zhao.
In addition to the vignettes,
we've also included seven case studies
offering in-depth forensic analyses of individual costumes
that function as connecting threads.
Together, they comprise an anthology that challenges
and complicates received histories, offering a more nuanced
and less monolithic reading of American fashion,
and of American culture more broadly.
The first major theme we examine is the Emergence
of a Distinct American Style, brought to life
by the film director Autumn de Wilde
in both the Baltimore Dining Room, and the Benkard Room,
which are both crafted in the Neoclassical style popular
in early 19th century America.
By the early 19th century, Baltimore was an artistically
and commercially vibrant city.
As in other urban centers in the U.S.,
the latest styles in Paris
and London influenced local trends.
In France, a revived interest
in classical antiquity resulted in the popularization
of dresses with narrow silhouettes and high waistlines.
Most fashion-conscious American women
modified Parisian styles for greater simplicity or modesty.
French style continued to provide inspiration
in the U.S. throughout the 19th century.
Moving over to the Richmond Room,
we explore the theme of the Emergence of a Named Designer
with director Regina King.
Here, we feature three designs by Fannie Criss Payne,
a leading designer in the Virginia capital
at the turn of the 20th century.
The dresses reveal the designer's precise technical skill
and refined artistic sensibility,
including her expert tailoring, careful composition
of embellishments, and use of delicate materials
with fine pintucks and lace insets.
Born in about 1867 to formerly enslaved parents,
Criss belonged to a generation of Black Virginians
who built their livelihoods following the abolition
of slavery in the U.S.
She established herself as one
of Richmond's premier fashion professionals
in the face of segregation laws that barred members
of the Black community from entrepreneurship.
Dressmaking was one of the few occupations accessible
to women in this period that offered opportunities
for economic independence and social advancement.
It was also increasingly recognized as a creative endeavor,
and thus signing one's work with a label
became a common practice.
Regina King's scene reimagines the context
of Criss's career, presenting her wearing one
of her designs, as her own muse
and a muse for her clients.
The exploration of this theme continues with vignettes
in the Haverhill Room by director Radha Blank,
featuring a wedding dress by L.P. Hollander,
as well as in the McKim, Mead, & White Stair Hall
and the Worsham-Rockefeller Dressing Room
by director Sofia Coppola with designs
by Lucie Monnay and others.
We also explore the Emergence of a Named Designer
in one of our case studies featuring this striking dress
by New Orleans dressmaker Olympe Boisse,
which was made with two bodices, one for afternoon,
which you see in the display, and an alternative one
for evening with short sleeves and a low-cut neckline.
In the 1860s, it was rare for American dressmakers
to label their designs.
By doing so, Olympe followed the example
of French couturier Charles Frederick Worth,
who saw labeling as a promotional tool
and a mark akin to an artist's signature.
A large part of the exhibition centers on the theme
of the Birth of American Sportswear.
We see this theme explored through minimalism
in the designs by Claire McCardell in a scene
in the Shaker Room by director Chloé Zhao
and the Emergence of an Individual Spirit
in Elizabeth Hawes' designs in the Gothic Revival Library,
staged by director Janicza Bravo,
as well as in Charles James's elegant gowns
in the Frank Lloyd Wright Room
in a scene created by Martin Scorsese.
Another aspect of this theme is historicism,
explored here in the Rococo Revival Parlor
with a party scene by director Janicza Bravo.
The opulent historicism of the Rococo Revival Parlor
is paralleled in this lavish 1960's evening dress
by Marguery Bolhagen, which echoes the emphatic silhouette
of mid-19th century fashion.
Bolhagen, who was largely based
in the Washington, D.C. area,
specialized in custom garments and was known
for sculptural designs made from exquisite fabrics.
Austine Hearst, wife of newspaper mogul
William Randolph Hearst, Jr., wore this design
to John F. Kennedy's inaugural ball in 1961.
The creative synergy between the two women resulted
in some of the designer's most distinctive work.
Other examples of historicism in American fashion
are featured in the Renaissance Revival Room
with designs by Ann Lowe and in the Greek Revival Room
with evening dresses by Madame Eta Hentz,
both vignettes created by director Julie Dash.
Another pivotal moment for American fashion is exemplified
in the Vanderlyn Panorama with director
and designer Tom Ford's imaginative and dynamic staging
of a major fashion event known
as the Battle of Versailles.
American fashion took its rightful place on the world stage
on November 28, 1973 at the transatlantic fashion show
Great Entertainment at Versailles.
Conceived by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert
and palace curator Gerald Van der Kemp as a fundraiser
for the host palace, then in significant disrepair,
The Battle of Versailles pitched five couturiers
from France, Marc Bohan for Christian Dior,
Pierre Cardin, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent,
and Emanuel Ungaro, against five ready-to-wear designers
from the U.S., Bill Blass, Stephen Burrows, Halston,
Anne Klein, and Oscar de la Renta.
While the French staged an elaborate presentation,
the Americans captivated the audience with the modernity
of their clothes and the vitality of their choreography.
The American models, many of whom were women of color,
stole the show.
The event shifted the dynamics between the reigning capital
of haute couture and the emergent epicenter of sportswear.
The ensembles displayed here against John Vanderlyn's
panoramic view of Versailles were shown
either at the original event
or in the participating designers' concurrent
seasonal runway presentations.
Together, Lexicon and Anthology present a dialogue
spanning the evolution of American fashion, how it began,
and where it is today, in all of its nuances,
diverse aesthetics, and inspirations.
We hope you come to view this immersive experience
for yourselves and grow your own relationship
to American fashion.