‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’ is the second of the two-part exhibition about fashion in the United States.

The exhibition covers the period of US men's and women’s fashion from the 18th century to the present. Each room represents a certain time in the history of American fashion, showcasing both clothing and interiors of the time.

 The first room, The Baltimore Dining Room, shows American Fashion and French Style. Then, narrow silhouettes and high waistlines characterized Parisian dresses. A lot of fashion-conscious American women, though, modified French dresses at the time to make them more simple and modest. 

The next room of the exhibition, The Benkard Room, represented American Fashion And British Style (early 19th century). These dresses were of subtle, simple designs; some dresses had puff sleeves typical for the time.

Wedding dresses were also shown as a part of the exhibition in the Renaissance Revival Room, Meriden, Connecticut, 1868-1870. Here, attention is placed on Ann Lowe, a designer who specialized in wedding dresses for prominent women. Her designs displayed strong silhouettes and rich ornamentation. For example, one of her wedding dresses recalled 19th-century bridal traditions by placing three-dimensional lilies on the lower part of the dress.

Visitors then move to the Greek Revival Parlor and the Rococo Revival Parlor of 1835-1850 NYC. Ionic columns at the entrance of the room, lighter colors, simpler furniture - all this was a representation of a Greek style.

Unlike the Greeks, the Rococo style amazed with its pompous furniture, copied after Rococo designs from Louis XVth's reign. Cabriole legs of the armchairs and sofas, naturalistic carvings, were presented in a Rococo Revival Parlor of 1950.

The exhibition's last room, Frank Lloyd Wright Room of Wayzata, Minnesota, 1912-1914, represented an early 20th-century style with its modernistic wooden furniture and square-shaped desk lamps.

The dresses by Charles James, presented in the room, were also brave and modern, showing the artistic view of the designer. They are characterized by complex understructures and “unconventional seaming to transform the wearer's silhouette, often with allusions to the natural world.”

In America: An Anthology of Fashion takes visitors on a 200-year journey through US fashion and architecture, showing us Americans’ personal life and politics. Fashion, interior, and culture could be found in the exhibition. 

The first part of the exhibition, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, is now on view in the Anna Wintour Costume Center. Both shows are open until September 5, 2022. 

Article by Mary Zakharova

Editing by Joseph R. Fraia

One of the most awaited events this May was probably the Met Gala. This year it was finally scheduled at its usual time, the first Monday of May. But unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the Met Gala in 2020 was canceled, and in 2021- it was moved to September. 

This year’s theme was In America: An Anthology of Fashion. That is the second part of last year’s Met-Gala theme, ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.’ The themes are connected to Andrew Bolton’s exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the same names. 

The theme represented the history and evolution of American style - and was reflected in the dress code: the Gilded Glamour, White Tie. 

One of the most noticeable outfits was probably presented by this year’s host of the Met Gala, Blake Lively, who appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her husband, Ryan Reynolds. 

Lively chose a Versace dress that represented the architecture of New York City, in particular, the Statue of Liberty. Lively stepped on the red carpet in a copper-colored dress. In the middle of her walk, she surprised everybody with an outstanding performance by flipping the train of her dress and revealing a blueish color, the same one that copper gets when it oxidizes. 

Kim Kardashian appeared on the red carpet wearing a vintage Jean Louis dress in which Marilyn Monroe was singing “Happy Birthday Mr. President” 60 years ago in 1962. Kardashian said she had to lose some weight to fit in the dress. “I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict,” she told Vogue. 

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The star only wore the dress for a couple of minutes, though. Because of the historical value of the dress, Kardashian didn’t want to risk accidentally putting a stain on or ripping it, so after the red carpet, she changed it into a replica. 

Gigi Hadid chose a bright red leather jumpsuit by Versace paired with a corset and voluminous coat of color. The supermodel’s outfit went viral. Always in style, Hadid didn’t disappoint her fans this time. She told Vogue that she wanted to show her one-year-old what it means to balance and own life.  

Kylie Jenner’s bridal look for the Met Gala was controversial. Jenner appeared wearing a wedding gown by Virgil Abloh designed for Off-White. She paired it with a white baseball cap turned backward and a short netted veil attached to it with some flowers on top. 

Some of the Twitter users share an opinion that this year’s Met Gala guests couldn’t understand the theme of the event very well. But even though some of the looks may be controversial, all of them have a story that, in one way or another, approaches and reflects the evolution of American fashion.

Article by Mary Zakharova

Editing by Joseph R. Fraia

It’s February, and New York is ready for the next wave of fashion. From February 11 through February 16, some of the most prominent designers will be presenting their Fall/Winter collections at New York Fashion Week 2022.

While the excitement is palpable, obstacles remain. No matter how much we are trying to “get back to normal,” COVID-19 is forcing changes to many schedules. For example, Tom Ford, whose show was supposed to be closing Fashion Week on February 16, announced on January 24th that due to COVID-19 outbreaks in his design studios in Los Angeles, he had to cancel the show. In a statement, Ford said, “We have tried everything possible to avoid canceling our New York show but ultimately are faced with the sad fact that we will simply not have a completed collection on time….”

The world-renowned designer noted that he is “incredibly disappointed” to miss New York Fashion Week, as in-person presentations are still the best way to convey the meaning and messages of the collection. While Ford will be missing from NYFW, he promised to release his collection as a digital lookbook later this year.

On January 26th, Thom Browne stated that he is also not going to participate in the New York Fashion Week, but this time for a different reason: to support his boyfriend, Andrew Bolton. Bolton works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he is the Wendy Yu curator in charge of the Costume Institute. Under his direction, the Met has been presenting an ongoing exhibition: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” Browne has decided to move his show to April 29, six days before the second part of this exhibition, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” is presented.

“It is important for me to continue our celebration of American design and support Andrew’s second exhibition on American fashion at The Met,” – said Browne in the statement. “There is so much individuality and creativity behind American design,” said Browne.

Browne’s new show date is also just a few days before the May 2nd Met Gala in honor of Bolton’s exhibit. In his statement, Browne had the following to say: “The CFDA’s American Collections Calendar is designed to support American designers to show

when and how is best for them. Being able to showcase this in the best way, to create something truly unique and at the highest standards, and to truly support Andrew’s vision for the strength and importance of American design and fashion.”

However, not all is lost for Browne fans. During the New York Fashion Week, Browne will reveal some of the details of his Fall 2022 unisex collection. And other prominent designers still plan on attending the festivities.

New York designer LaQuan Smith made a splash last year, as his fashion show on the roof of the Empire State Building was probably the most extravagant of all the shows. Smith has confirmed he will present his new collection as well. He hasn’t revealed any details of the collection yet, but his previous one was dedicated to New York’s comeback and was intended to inspire women to feel sexy and alive again.

While many people remain concerned about the potential spread of the Omicron variant, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) announced that most of the shows will be in person, with all the COVID-19 safety protocol followed. Noah Kozlowski, IMG Fashion’s director of designer relations and development, explained to Reuters, “The biggest challenge will be for the decision-makers of who gets to attend the shows since across the board there will be decreased capacities similar to what we saw last season.”

Even though we don’t know any details yet, with the ongoing trend of functional clothes, comfortable textures, and animal prints, that recently came back to us, I will be waiting for more soft and fuzzy teddy bear coats, oversized winter jackets, and leopard prints.

I am so looking forward to covering my first Fashion Week as a correspondent for Livein Magazine.

Article by Mary Zakharova

Editing by Joseph R. Fraia

Photos by Joseph R. Fraia - jrfstudio.com