Forget the Oscars. If there was one red carpet event I could attend, it would be the Costume Institute’s annual Gala. The evening celebrates and raises funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s glorious Costume Institute.
Anna Wintour and Bee Shaffer at the Costume Institute Gala 2011. Image courtesy of ballfashionista.com
The Costume Institute houses a collection of more than thirty-five thousand costumes and accessories, representing five continents and seven centuries of fashionable dress, regional costumes, and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition at the Costume Institute. Image courtesy of metmuseum.org
The Costume Institute began as the Museum of Costume Art, an independent entity formed in 1937 and led by Neighborhood Playhouse founder Irene Lewisohn. In 1946, with the financial support of the fashion industry, the Museum of Costume Art merged with The Metropolitan Museum of Art as The Costume Institute, and in 1959 became a full-fledged curatorial department. (Which means, yes, fashion is art!)
Robe à la Française, c. 1750. Image courtesy of Metmuseum.org
Since the event is affectionately know as the “Oscars of the East”, the Met has decided to stream the Gala live tonight. Watch the event on Vogue.com, Amazon.com/Fashion, and Metmuseum.org from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
GHTime Code(s): nc
