The MET’s Costume Institute to house exhibition celebrating women designers

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET) has revealed details of its upcoming ‘Women Dressing Women’ exhibition, set to take place at The Costume Institute from December 7, 2023, to March 3, 2024.

Comprising around 80 objects by over 70 makers, the exhibition looks to celebrate the creativity and legacy of women designers, while also tracing a lineage of women-led fashion houses from the 20th century to the present.

Among pieces included are works by the likes of Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons, Gabriela Hearst, Claire McCardell, Miuccia Prada and Vivienne Westwood.

The exhibition will walk through four key notions – anonymity, visibility, agency, and absence/omission – and examine the ways the industry has served as a vehicle for women’s social, financial and creative autonomy.

In a release, Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu curator in charge of the institute, said: “Women have been instrumental to the success of The Costume Institute since its inception—its founding members include several inspiring women—and the department remains dedicated to recognizing the artistic, technical, and social achievements of women.

“We look forward to this opportunity to honour many of the designers, donors, and scholars who have contributed to shaping The Costume Institute and, more broadly, the history of fashion.”