Met delays Costume Institute exhibit

It doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out that creating those exhibits for The Met's Costume Institute is not an overnight job. "The First Monday in May" gave us insight to just how long, strenuous, and tedious this process can be.

The Met has already announced their next exhibit "Masterworks: Unpacking Fashion," however, they have pushed back the date. The exhibit was originally scheduled to open earlier in November, but now, it is scheduled to open on November 18 instead. The closing date of February 5 will still remain the same.

The exhibit is a curated selection of 60 masterworks from the early 18th century to present. Assistant curator Jessica Regan had no easy task putting this exhibit together. The exhibit focuses on acquisitions from the past 10 years, giving Regan over 1000 pieces to choose from. She was aided with the guidance of curator in charge Andrew Bolton, of course.

The Met's "Masterworks: Unpacking Fashion" exhibit will open on November 17

"Our mission is to present fashion as a living art that interprets history, becomes part of the historical process, and inspires subsequent art," said Bolton. "Over the seven decades since The Costume Institute became part of The Met in 1946, our collecting strategy has shifted from creating a collection of Western high fashion that is encyclopedic in breadth to one focused on acquiring a body of masterworks."

The majority of the show will be women's ready-to-wear and couture, with a few pieces of men's wear and accessories. Recently collected pieces with be juxtaposed alongside pieces that The Met procured years ago.

Some of the designers featured include Vionnet, Azzedine Alaia, Cristobal Balenciaga, Tom Ford, Jean Paul Gaultier, Halston, Charles James, Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garcons, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin, Viktor & Rolf, Maison Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, Paul Poiret, Zandra Rhodes, Yves Saint Laurent for Dior, Elsa Schiaparelli, Raf Simons for Dior, Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent, Noritaka Tatehana, Philip Treacy, and Iris van Herpen.

The Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Gallery will display ensembles in packing crates and on pallets, with the intention of evoking the idea that the garments just arrived.

The Met's current exhibit Manus x Machina will end after Labor Day.

The hashtag for the new Masterworks exhibit will be #FashionMasterworks.

photo courtesy of The Met Communications Office