The Brooklyn Museum recently opened its “American High Style: Fashioning a National Collection,” on exhibit through August 1st. The exhibition marks the new relationship between the museum and the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “American High Style” includes renowned objects from its costume collection and consists about 85 dressed mannequins – plus a selection of hats, shoes, sketches, and other fashion-related material that reintroduces the museum’s collection to the public (which had remained in storage for a long time).
The exhibition is divided into groups – each of which represents the most important strengths of the collection. Works by the first generation of American women designers such as Bonnie Cashin, Elizabeth Hawes, and Claire McCardell are on display, as well as garments and accessories created by Charles James, Norman Norell, Gilbert Adrian, and other American designers who helped shape the nation’s fashion industry and top styles of the early-to-mid 20th century.
Many French designers’ pieces are also on exhibit – including items created by Charles Frederick Worth, Elsa Schiaparelli, Jeanne Lanvin, Jeanne Paquin, Madeleine Vionnet and Christian Dior, all of whom have played significant roles in influencing American fashion of the 20th century.
The Met’s “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity,” on display through August 15th, is a related exhibition that celebrates the arrival of the Brooklyn Museum costume collection and the two institutes’ recent collaboration.
