MET displays IN PURSUIT OF FASHION, donated by Sandy Schreier from her private fashion
collection. This exhibition provides an excellent window for the public to access historical
fashion garments, with the context of the time and timeline. She showed her passion for fashion
and started her collecting voyage at very young age. She was the pioneer to see fashion garments
with collectable values; while at the time the other collectors would prefer to invite fine art,
stamps, ancient ordnance, or books to their collections. This exhibition is a capsule of her
collecting experience that was accompanied with the revolution of western fashion. This
exhibition displays how the fashion trend shifted through out the 20th century.
Sandy Schreier’s foresaw the importance of historical fashion to social culture study. The
garments proofs its own importance by offering hints and close-shoot for people to better
understand fashion in historical scenario. The naming for the collection is interesting to think
about too: dressing is distinguished from fashion in modern fashion studies. Fashion is
comprehensive for its close relationship with social culture, gender, psychology, economy,
globalization and so on and so on. Any possible fields that have relationship with human being’s
behavior would have to do something with fashion. For the people who don’t study fashion,
fashion is more likely to be a materialized none. Hopefully by overviewing the text on the wall
and observing the charming characteristics on each garment, the common people would have
more profound understanding for fashion.
The interior structure are visually extensive with the help of glass walls, light, and the ceiling
lights. The shape of stages are designed in streamline and soft curves. There are LED flexible
rope lights inserted between the first and second layers, offering a dimmed and soft amount of
light casting upward to the garments. Accompanied with the ceiling light, that are the separated
individual illuminants. However, the separated light source from the ceiling are so scattered that
it takes away the gorgeous reflection, as well the beautiful contrast of shadow and light that
could help emphasize the texture of the textile and surface decorations.
Sandy Schreier collected the very representative fashion pieces from fashion turning point, such
as the golden age, inter war era, the coming-back couture and luxury, etc. The garments are
presented along with the historical timeline. The first presented dress at the enter of gallery is a
La Garçon evening dress from 1920s. It is typical with Egyptian motifs, under the inspiration
from the unveil of Tomb of Tutankhamun, which was star point in early 1900s. The enriched
embroidery and bold use of golden color was very iconic to display the luxurious after-war
lifestyle and the states’ people’s pride. This representative dress is very eye-catching to the
audience. It cohesively represents the core of the exhibition (in my own understanding): the
pursuit for fashion goes beyond dressing. The garment I like the most in this exhibition is
another La Garçon evening dress.
This midi dress is just below knees. The length allows the wearer to dance beautifully to show
hers dance steps more obviously. The sleeveless design leave more moving space for the dancing
arms. Though the La Garcon style was comparatively boyish and limited the showing of female’s
curvy body, the wide opening squared collar expresses female’s clavicle which is still considered
as a sexy element for women. The deep-V shaped fake-layer elongates the proportion of body,
making the torso to look slimmer. The condense beading work in this triangle at the chest
beautifully balance the heavy bottom hem. Though this dress doesn’t have a waist seam design,
the star-shaped central offers a visual separation that suggests the segregation of body. The
enrich beading constructs radial patterns that has a central star-point at the belly. The radial
pattern is carefully beaded with gradient beads, giving the pattern highlights and contrast. The
beads work at the upper part of the dress deliberately shape the look of layers on triangular-cut
pink chiffon. The segregated few beads enhance the feeling of “falling stars”. From the top to the
bottom, bead color shifts from light to darker, giving the top more light feeling and the balance to
the weighted base. Such design offers light movement feeling to the overall body. The lower part
of the dress is designed with heavier and multiple layers of beading works with dark beads.
Though at the first look, one might consider it as one layer designed. A few ”beams of radial
light” visualized by beading are departing to the sides and to the bottom hem. At the very edge of
hem, the beings work constructs into angular shapes, corresponding to the angular patterns
designed for the upper part. The use of polished beads for the dress makes it shining under the
lights, and would successfully make the wearer a star in a dance pool. The indistinct use of black
lace offers a touch of elegance to the wearer. The collage of pink chiffon and black lace makes
the dress both cute, soft, and secretly sexy.
I suppose this dress have been worn by flappers. The flappers were the youthful and energetic
generation emerged in 1920s after World War I. The triumph brought back national pride to the
states people. Such feminine dress might be favored by ladies at their 20s to 30s age. The
laborious beading work must have resulted from hundreds of condense work. Such dress mush
values an amount of money, and would possibly consumed by icons, actresses, or upper class
women. Such eye-catching dress is not very appropriate for daily wear, but it definitely was one
of the most shining one in a crowd.
When looking at this flamboyant dress, I could imaging me as a vigorous young lad in an after
dinner party. Dancing carefree with jazz music and under dim lights. It is a very primary feeling
to get closer to the history. I won’t look so closely to a mere garment unless this particular one is
displayed in a museum and given with enrich value, especially a womenswear for a men. But it
were the gentle lightening and calm music that slow me down to be willing to spend more time
on observation.
It would be much better if I can see a time-matched head pieces, or shoes, or handbags, or
jewelries to complete this look. I would engage more with the garment at the time. I also expect
to watch some film clips or historical video that flappers dance in the similar garments of this piece with joyful music. The movement of this beading dress must be the peak for its lifespan.
