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tbt | a night at the museum
“…dress is central to any discussion about religion…”
Happy Tuesday all!
So I’m assuming that by now, we’ve all had our morning scroll through social media and seen all the looks – or at least the noteworthy ones – from last night’s MET Gala.
This year’s MET exhibit said to be the biggest and most extravagant ever, centers around the theme, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”
And, in the effort of authenticity, Andrew Bolton, curator at The Costume Institute at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, has secured over 40 papal pieces – including Pope Benedict XV’s white silk cape and the pointed bishop’s hat of Pope Leo XIII – most which have never left the Vatican before!
While some may criticize the exhibit as being controversial due to the mixing of sacred artifacts and fashion garments, Bolton claims that it is impossible to have a conversation about religion without discussing the clothing!
He asserts that “dress is central to any discussion about religion…it affirms religious allegiances and, by extension, it asserts religious differences.”
In recent years, the exhibition’s themes have been not only a reflection of social goings-on [and thus, very relevant of times!] but have also been important in contextualizing and shaping how we as consumers perceive clothing.
From 2015’s China: Through The Looking Glass, about China’s growth and influence as a major player on the global stage, to 2016’s Manus x Machina: Fashion In an Age of Technology, of course focusing on the ever-present, but increasing role that technology has in our lives, to even last year’s Commes des Garcons; The Art of In-Between, which albeit focused on Kawakubo, but also on the current rebellious nature of dressing, the Costume Institute continues to make the linkage between art and all its forms, and society as a whole.
So of course, in today’s political times, where religion and religious freedoms are current points of debate, it is clear that this retrospective is a particularly important conversation to be had.
And with so much historical fodder, it may have been one of the easier red carpets for attendees to dress for…
Some opted for the saintly route, others – the sinner, and most just went with the celestially elegant.
Ms. Lively has my vote for ‘Best Dressed’…with Anne Hathaway, Lana del Rey, Rihanna, Zendaya and Solange closely behind… but I may be biased…🤷🏼♀️
See the rest below!
Thoughts?
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