The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art – the body responsible for our beloved first Monday in May – has just announced its autumn 2023 exhibition. Highlighting over 70 female designers who have shaped the landscape of 20th century fashion, the aptly titled Women Dressing Women will open December 7. The New York landmark will house an 80-piece collection, platforming the work of industry heavyweights such as Miuccia Prada and Vivienne Westwood, as well as more historical figures such as Claire McCardell and Madeline Vionnet, spanning from 1910 to 2022. Known for its thorough and multifaceted approach to exhibitions, the Costume Institute will also focus on underrepresented designers like Ann Lowe, Adèle Henriette Nigrin Fortuny, Isabel Toledo, Yeohlee Teng and No Sesso’s Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph.

Running until March 3, the showcase will explore four key arenas – anonymity, visibility, agency and absence/omission – highlighting how the designers in question have impacted the industry beyond aesthetics. Examining how fashion and design have been powerful vehicles “for women’s social, financial and creative autonomy”, the exhibition will provide historical context for today’s designer-crazy culture, as well as highlighting the connections between its featured talents.  

Serving up an impressive roster of industry figureheads, the exhibition will also explore the works of Sarah Burton, Gabrielle Chanel, Ann Demeulemeester as well as current favourites such as Collina Strada, Ester Manas, Simone Rocha and Marine Serre – wonder women in their own right.

Held in the Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery – one half of the Insitute’s Anna Wintour Costume Centre – the display follows a healthy serving of renowned predecessors. Notable among them are China: Through The Looking Glass in 2015 and Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination in 2018 – both of which have comfortable spots on the Met’s most visited exhibitions of all time. As celebrated chief curator Andrew Bolton enters his eighth year in the top job, the new release is expected to have the rigour and theatricality that has become synonymous with the industry polymath.  

Speaking on the project, Bolton noted that the department continues to remain dedicated to “recognising the artistic, technical and social achievements of women.”

Discover the upcoming exhibition here.

metmuseum.org