art,  beauty,  design,  fashion,  nerdiness,  vintage

Four Centuries of Fashion

I’ve been doing a lot of research on vintage fashion for a novel I’m working on. I recently came across a treasure trove of information on the website of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Perusing the photos of garments from the 1600’s through today is like taking a walk through time–albiet in a corset and sometimes painful shoes, but always looking fantastic. Here are a few of my favorite ensembles from the Met’s archives. All photos are from the Costume Institute’s website.

Chanel. 1938.
Dior. 1953
Yves Saint Laurent, 1965-66 fall/winter
Lanvin, circa 1924

4 Comments

  • Annette

    Fabulous…amazing…
    I saw the Poiret exhibit at the Met a few years ago and they had the original Chanel “Little Black Dress”. I died.

    Another phenom exhibit – here in DC – The First Ladies exhibit at the American History Museum. Inaugural dresses donated by the ladies – including Michele Obama’s (and her Jimmy Choos). Again – I died.

  • Yi Shun Lai

    Egads, Susan,
    I can’t wait to see the book. It looks amazing, And thank you for pointing out this part of the Costume Institute’s Web site. I have a forthcoming 1920s-themed event, and I am totally ripping my hair out making sure everyone has the right idea. This is perfect!
    Good luck with everything! And thanks again!