“Manus X Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology”
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
100 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
May 5 – August 16, 2016
The Metropolitan Museum of art has announced their newest costume exhibition to debut in May and run through August 2016. Titled “Manus X Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology” the exhibition will highlight the influence of technology on today’s fashion. Located in the Museum’s Robert Lehman Wing and Anna Wintour Costume Center, the exhibition will add to a list of many successful and unique exhibitions that have served the fashion and beauty world at The Met.
The exhibition will show the founding of haute couture in the 19th century and how it has evolved through the additions of industrialization, machinery, and mass production. From an 1880s Worth gown to a 2015 Chanel suit, the exhibition will have over 100 ensembles that reflect both the traditional and modern aspects of haute couture. From the old workshops filled with artisans working on pleating, knitting, and lacework to rooms filled with 3D printers and laser cutters, this exhibition will delve into it all.
The exhibition has been made possible by Apple, whose chief chief design officer Jonathan Ive has been named as a co-chair for the awaited Met Gala. Also chaired by Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, and of course, Anna Wintour, the May 2 event will bring the most elite members of the fashion, music and pop culture industries.
The costume exhibitions at The Met have a longstanding history of success, highlighting diverse topics of the ever changing fashion world. “China Through the Looking Glass,” shown from May through August of 2015, had nearly 816,000 visitors. It revealed the way the Western world has used Chinese influences in fashion. Closing on February 21, is the “Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style” exhibition, which focused on the internationally renowned style icon Countess Jacqueline de Ribes.
The Met’s beautiful exhibitions of the past, have us believing that that “Manus x Machina” will be as interesting and incredible as one can hope.
Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
