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The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute has released images of the upcoming major fashion exhibition of 2016, Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.
The exhibition, which opens on 5 May, explores the link between the handmade and the machine-made in the worlds of haute couture and ready-to-wear. It will feature more than 120 pieces, ranging from an 1880s Worth gown to a 2015 Chanel suit, focusing on how today’s designers are reconciling the two worlds.
Above A back view of the wedding ensemble by Karl Lagerfeld for House of Chanel, AW14/15 haute couture.
A back view of the wedding ensemble by Karl Lagerfeld for House of Chanel, AW14/15 haute couture.
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Above A suit designed by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel herself (1963–1968 haute couture). It was a gift from Mrs Lyn Revson to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1975.
A suit designed by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel herself (1963–1968 haute couture). It was a gift from Mrs Lyn Revson to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1975.
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Above A gorgeous evening dress by Yves Saint Laurent, AW69/70 haute couture; a gift from Baron Philippe de Rothschild to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1983.
A gorgeous evening dress by Yves Saint Laurent, AW69/70 haute couture; a gift from Baron Philippe de Rothschild to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1983.
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Above An ensemble by Karl Lagerfeld for House of Chanel, AW15/16 haute couture.
An ensemble by Karl Lagerfeld for House of Chanel, AW15/16 haute couture.
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This Iris van Herpen design, AW13/14 haute couture, was purchased by Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts in 2015 for The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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“Traditionally, the distinction between the haute couture and prêt-à-porter was based on the handmade and the machine-made, but recently this distinction has become increasingly blurred as both disciplines have embraced the practices and techniques of the other,” said Andrew Bolton, Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute.
Recently released photos reveal that the show will include a “wedding ensemble” by Karl Lagerfeld for the Chanel AW14/15 haute couture collection, and an evening dress by Yves Saint Laurent for the AW 1969-1970 haute couture show. A suit by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel dating from the 1963-1968 haute couture collection and a dress by the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen created for the AW13/14 haute couture show will also make an appearance.
Additional designers set to feature in the exhibition include Cristobal Balenciaga, Boué Soeurs, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, André Courrèges, Christian Dior, Alber Elbaz for Lanvin, Jean Paul Gaultier, Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton, Helmut Lang, Miuccia Prada and several others.
The show will explore the founding of haute couture in the 19th century, when the sewing machine was invented, and the effect of industrialisation and mass production on the industry, and the building’s galleries will be transformed into a traditional couture house with ateliers of tailoring and dressmaking.
The opening night, which will serve as The Met’s Costume Institute Benefit, also known as The Met Gala, will take place on 2 May, with Idris Elba, Jonathan Ive, Taylor Swift, and Anna Wintour acting as co-chairs and Nicolas Ghesquière, Karl Lagerfeld, and Miuccia Prada serving as Honorary Chairs.
Manus x Machina runs 5 May to 14 August at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
