To quote the Met: “This exhibition features approximately 220 garments and accessories spanning four centuries, all visually connected through themes of nature, which also serves as a metaphor for the transience of fashion.” It is worth a visit!

These are works of art intended to be worn—maybe only once—but they are built for a human body. They are relatable in a way that flat canvases are not.

Many/most sported beads and sequins in designs and colors that celebrate the theme of nature. Needle, thread, beads, and sequins are very accessible… just think of the things we can bling up!

I walked the show thinking about how heavy and hot the dresses would be, how they would limit movement. But if I were going to a gala, I would put up with all of that :-).

And hats! I should have taken more photos of them all.

“It is the hat that matters the most,” notes Rezia, the Italian milliner in Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway (1925). Rezia’s observation was echoed by Christian Dior in his 1954 Little Dictionary of Fashion: “[A hat] is really the completion of your outfit and in another way, it is very often the best way to show your personality. It is easier to express yourself sometimes with your hat than it is with your clothes. “

Next is a cautionary tale for quilters who use starch. We’ve been told that starch can draw bugs, but I’d not thought about it discoloring and damaging fabric. Polysaccharide gum is different from corn starch and I am not a chemist but it does raise questions in my mind.

While this nautical-inspired ensemble remains in good structural condition, its visual appearance no longer represents the clean aesthetic of Norman Norell’s original design. Scientific analysis of the organdy has revealed that the discoloration is occurring not in the cotton fibers themselves but in a starching agent (polysaccharide gum) added to the cotton to provide sheen and stiffness. Although it is not unusual for starched cotton to yellow over time, the severity and the unevenness of the discoloration has made this dress unsuitable for display, as it distracts too much from the designer’s intention.

There was more… so much more. I got lost amid Impressionist paintings, then remembered to visit the roof to garden.

I visited with a guard who loves her job, spent a bit of time and money in the gift shop, and walked the 2 miles back to Jeff’s apartment. What a great way to spend some hours of my life :-).