a few favorites from a recent trip to the met...

an egyptian woman and her child, leon bonnat

judith, jean-joseph benjamin-constant

salome, henri regnault

falling leaves, allegory of autumn, hugues merle

And there's more...

Some more swoon-worthy pieces from the Met...

"La Sirène" by Charles James (American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978), 1939

Evening Dress by Charles James (American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978), 1936

Evening Dress by Madame Grès (Alix Barton) (French, 1903–1993), 1937

 Evening Ensemble by Madame Marie Gerber (French), ca. 1910

Evening Dress by Madame Marie Gerber (French), ca. 1910

Evening Dress by Madeleine Vionnet (French, 1876–1975), 1938

Evening Dress, ca. 1926

 Evening Dress, 1926–1928

Evening Dress, 1925

coats & capes

Some of my favorite pieces from the "American Woman" exhibit at The Met...

As you can see, I'm a little obsessed with capes.

Evening Coat, Liberty of London (British, founded 1875), 1910–1915

Evening Cape, Liberty of London (British, founded 1875), 1900–1909

 Cape, Liberty of London (British, founded 1875), 1900–1910

 Evening Cape, Liberty of London (British, founded 1875), 1910–1915

Evening Coat, Paul Poiret (French, 1879–1944), ca. 1912

American Woman

I finally got over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see an exhibit I have been dying to see for awhile now: "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity."  I forgot how much I love this stuff. Of course I studied costume design in college, but that was awhile ago now. This was a nice reminder of why I got into fashion.

"It explores developing perceptions of the modern American woman from 1890 to 1940 and how they have affected the way American women are seen today. Focusing on archetypes of American femininity through dress, the exhibition reveals how the American woman initiated style revolutions that mirrored her social, political, and sexual emancipation. "Gibson Girls," "Bohemians," and "Screen Sirens," among others, helped lay the foundation for today's American woman" 

 

From The Heiress gallery... 

From The Gibson Girl gallery...

From The Bohemian gallery... (one of my favorites!)

From The Flapper gallery... (another favorite of mine)

\

From The Screen Siren gallery... (again, another favorite)

*All photos from The Met's Flickr stream*

Click here for details of all the pieces in the show.

For more amazing pieces, check out the Collection Database. It's amazing.

On view until August 15th