The first impression of walking into the exhibit In Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection was understandingly underwhelming compared to the previous fashion exhibits shown at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the Anna Wintour Costume Center hidden within the Egyptian wing there is a full display of Twentieth-century French and American couture and ready-to-wear that are all in one space that capture the changing fashions according to each garment’s respectable time.
The first, frontal display of the Madeleine & Madeleine dress that greets viewers may have best set the tonality for the rest of the exhibit of accomplishing the goal in having it’s viewers understand that fashion has its own place as works of art in history and culture. Especially since this specific dress captured the 1920’s with fashion’s interest in using highly decorated fabrics that spoke to the aesthetics of certain cultures. However, on the mannequin displaying the Madeleine & Madeleine dress has a contemporary, geometric piece on top of the mannequin’s head which fails to contribute anything to the understanding of the historical significance of this dress except maybe to imitate the pyramid shape. This seemed to be an ongoing theme throughout the rest of the exhibit with several mannequins and the placement of objects on heads to attract viewers for its visuals which, in a way cheapened the experience of how strong each piece was in the collection. On the other hand, some hat displays such as the flowers on the mannequins wearing interwar couture had relation to the fashion culture at that time. The collection overall was maybe too approachable and too intimate in the way that they were displayed widely open instead of being almost hidden away in glass. Just accessories and a few garments were secured in glass boxes including one of them being Chanel’s costume jewelry. One can’t help but compare the layout to Alexander McQueen’s creations that were well protected in beautifully crafted gold/glass boxes during the Savage Beauty exhibition.
In the main room, the overall layout of the space was not successful in creating a space where the exhibit felt cohesive but, this is understandable as Sandy Shreiers collection has creations from all kinds of genius within fashion history throughout the decades. The final room made the most sense in terms of cohesiveness with looks that draw aesthetics from Camp: Notes on Fashion. The positioning of several mannequins were overlapped which proved difficult in fully viewing several of the garments. In addition the lighting was quite dim which proved ineffective in fully capturing the beautiful embroidery of several garments such as the Fortuny dresses.
Despite many of the failings of the exhibit, it did succeed in allowing viewers to simply appreciate each individual piece than to get overwhelmed by the whole exhibition and just walk through. The information on the captions also well captured the historical significance of each piece especially to those who have no prior knowledge on that particular time period of fashion. To those who know fashion history or have a background of some sort it fully brought out a wave of astonishment of seeing such pieces in person that defined moments in the history of fashion.
Until getting to know the collector of this extensive collection, Sandy Shreier, can there be full comprehension of the overall purpose of this exhibition. In the front wall next to the Madeleine & Madeleine dress there is a description that briefly introduces Sandy Shreier beginnings of collecting pieces at childhood as she had a taste for beautiful dresses from an early age and developed into one where she collected them as she understood the significance of the fashion pieces as history. Sandy Shreier’s collection changed how our society perceives fashion to be beyond its utilitarian purpose but to one that can be recognized as works of art that deserve a space in museums. The museum failed to let viewers know that Sandy Shreier refuses to wear any of the items in her collection which further expliempies her early understanding of the need for preservation of fashion.
The final room in the exhibition, “The Message is the Medium” best contain pieces that intrigue viewers with their playfulness and bring back elements of the Camp exhibit. There is the Christian Francis Roth ‘Breakfast’ suit, handbag-shaped hat by Isaac Mizrahi, and Moschino gloves. The accessories in the final room definitely brought the whole theme of the room to life. They also brought out Sandy Schreir’s capability to recognize these as beautiful yet fun pieces that are innovative in it’s own right.
In Pursuit of Fashion is especially needed in this time of our society as we have accepted fast fashion as a norm. Our culture has become susceptible to easy discarding of garments to follow changing trends. It teaches viewers to rethink on our own individual relationship to fashion- things that we choose to buy, preserve, or to wear.
Bibliography
Darcella, Aria. “Stephen Jones Talks Whimsical Hats In the Costume Institute’s Exhibit.” Daily Front Row, November 25, 2019. https://fashionweekdaily.com/stephen-jones-sandy-schreier-costume-institute-hats/.
