The Met's Costume Institute Exhibition, ‘About Time: Fashion and Duration,' Is Finally Opening
The 2020 Met Gala, canceled due to the pandemic, was meant to kick off the show.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is gearing up to open its long-postponed Costume Institute exhibition, About Time: Fashion and Duration, five months after its originally planned debut of May 4. The 2020 Met Gala, which was supposed to kick off the exhibit, was initially postponed and then entirely canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Two months after re-opening with limited capacity, the Met is ready to unveil the new show. Curated by Andrew Bolton and sponsored by Louis Vuitton, About Time: Fashion and Duration chronicles 150 years of fashion history, beginning in 1850 and ending in the present. Applying philosopher Henri Bergson’s concept of “la durée” (the continuity of time) to fashion, the show explores how clothing can evoke the past, present and future, as well as become emblematic of decades across history. Historical garments from the 19th century are presented alongside pieces that have become synonymous with certain time periods, such as Balenciaga‘s “balloon dress” from the ’50s and Versace‘s daring safety pin gown from the ’90s.
About Time: Fashion and Duration opens on October 29 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Head to the museum’s website to reserve tickets.
