The day started with a short subway ride from Union Square. We were by surrounded by a flood of people rushing and pushing in the sweltering heat. The Met was only a few stops away, followed by a short five minutes walk. Upon our arrival, we were lined up behind hundreds of people waiting to see the astonishing art inside the museum.
We could not walk through the entire place due to time limitation. Some of the things we looked at include Islamic and Japanese art, armoury, Greek sculptures and Charles James: Beyond Fashion exhibition.
Charles James' work was the highlight of our visit. His sculptural approach towards dressmaking allowed the creation of complex architectural designs. Instead of creating the garment as a whole, James built the garment by creating the different parts of the dress separately and putting them together shape by shape. His dresses are beautiful works of art with incredibly intricate details. Each dress is accompanied by a projector which shows the viewer the structure of the garment. Whilst reading about the "Ball Gown" in 1946, I was particularly interested in how James used different fabrics in one garment for special effects. I thought it was a very clever technique to add light, colour and movement to a gown. I was also drawn to the supporting structure of the "Lampshade Evening Dress" in 1955. It is a shame that we cannot see how the dress is constructed inside ourselves. Nevertheless, I loved how technology was used to deconstruct the structure of the dresses. It brought the creations alive.
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