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The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Fashion, Art, and Beauty
JAMES LAVER

Everybody knowswhatfashionis; it hitsus in the eye everytimewe go into the ConDenEs

street.Andmostpeopleareconvinced thattheyknowwhatartis,although theywould
be hardput to defineit. Beautythen!Forit is theobviouspurposeof artto produce Fashion,
Art, andBeauty
beauty;andit is the obviouspurposeof fashionto makewomenbeautiful.Fashion, JAMES I,AVER I
art,beautymustsurelymeanthesamething,orso nearlythe samethingthatwe can
swallowthemallin onegulpandrestcontent. Is Fashionan Art? I.

Yet whenwe beginto considerthe matterwe findit is not so simple.The three NORMAN NORELL

termsshifttheirshapeandchangetheirmeaning. Letustakebeautyfirst.Myselfwhen LOUISE NEVELSON

youngdid eagerlyfrequentthe aestheticphilosophers in searchof someacceptable IRENE SHARAFF

ALWIN
definition.
I learnedfromSt. ThomasAquinasthat"beautyis thatwhich,beingseen, NIKOLAIS

ANDRE COURREGES
pleases";a dictumthatfailsto distinguish betweena paintingby Titiananda jam
tart.And,moreimportant, leavesopenthepertinentquestion: pleaseswhom,andfor FashionP]ates
howlong?FromRuskinI gatheredthatbeautywasanessential attributeof "Nature" JANET S. BYRNE Ii
andthat"truthto Nature"wasthe goalof art.But whenwe examinethe paintings
Ruskinadmiredwe findthat by "truthto Nature"he meanttruthto localcolor, TheArt of Fashion
ignoringaltogethertheintervening layersof airthatturna brownhillin theforeground POLAIRE WEISSMAN I'
to a bluemountain in the fardistance.Ruskinwasalsoof theopinionthatartshould
havean upliftingeffectandteacha morallesson;andthisdoctrinewaspushedto the
extremeby Tolstoi,whocamein theendto believethatanypictureof a lifeboatwas
necessarily
a goodpicture.
Whistlerandhis schoolrepudiated all suchnotions,andso did the greatFrench
impressionists,
for whatmorallessondoesa landscape by Monetteach?Thencame
CliveBellwithhistheoryof"Significant Form,"whichturnsout to be anargument
in a circle."Whydo youlikethatpicture?" "Becauseit givesme an aestheticsensa-
tion.""Whydoesit give you an aestheticsensation?" "Becauseit has Significant
Form.""Howdoyouknowit hasSignificant Form?""Because it givesmeanaesthetic COV E R :

sensation." Therewasno salvationhereforthe earnestinquirer. And,saysomeother Ritade AcostaLydig,by

theorists,perhaps theendof artis not beautybutexpressiveness; thismakesthecloud Baronde Meyer(I869-I946),
of unknowing American.Photograph, Z6N,
moreimpenetrable still,foroneis compelled to ask,expressiveof what? X I2 inches.Gift of Mercedes
Whenwe turnto fashiontheproblembecomes evenmorecomplicated. Letus con- de Acosta,67.639.I
siderthe wordin its narrowsenseas meaningthe clothespeople(especially women)
wear."Whata beautiful dress,"wesay,whenweseea womanin thelatestcreationof
BACK COVER:
somegreatcouturier. It is therefore a fashionabledress,whichmeansit is attractive Photograph,
z 967, by Richard
in the contextof contemporary taste. Aredon
I I7

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin ®
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TheLetter
BeforeWaterloo,
by William i^il g t; :

FrontispiCe
of 'gnirv1,; ( ztYvS)The,\T 9

But now a very disconcerting thinghappens.The dresswe thoughtso beautiful

goes"outof fashion," andthenwedo not thinkit beautiful at all.In fact,we thinkit
hideous.It seemsto usoutrageously ugly,andwecannotimaginehoworwhyanybody
ever thoughtit anythingelse.It wouldbe easyto multiplyexamples,but perhaps
onemaysuffice.The firsteditionof Vanzzy Fazrwasillustratedby Thackeray himself
and,in his foreword,he remarksthat "of course"he couldnot bearto clothehis
Ameliain the "hideous" clothesof I8I5 (which,afterall,washisplainduty),andhe
calmlyproceedsto clotheher,andBeckySharptoo, in the modeof I838.
An amusing gamecanbe playedwiththe familyalbum.Showanyyoungwomana
photograph of herownmotherin the dressshe worewhenshe wasyoung,and the
moderngirlwill cry "Hideous!" withcompleteconviction.Go on turningthe pages
untilyou cometo a photograph of the girl'sgrandmother.The reactionis not so
violent;the clotheswornarelikelyto be dismissed as"quaint." Great-grandmother's
clothesarelikelyto seemmoreattractive,"romantic" even;andgreat-great-grand-
mother's clotheswillin allprobability bepronounced "beautiful."Theyhave,in short,
enteredthe realmof"historical costume" andwe questionthemno more.

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART Bullefin

VOLUME XXVI, NUMBER 3 NOVEMBER I 967
PublishedmonthlyfromOctoberto JuneandquarterlyfromJulyto September. Copyright(¢)I967
by TheMetropolitan Museumof Art,FifthAvenueand82ndStreet,NewYork,N. Y. Io028.Second
classpostagepaidat NewYork,N. Y. Subscriptions$s.ooa year.Singlecopiesfiftycents.Sentfreeto
Museummembers. Fourweeks'noticerequiredforchangeof address.Backissuesavailableon micro-
filmfromUniversityMicrofilms,
3I3 N. FirstStreet,
AnnArbor,Michigan. Associate Editorin Charge
of Publications:
LeonWilson.Editor-in-chiefof theBulletin:
KatharineH. B. Stoddert;Editorsof the
Bulletin:
SuzanneBoorsch,JoanK. Foley,andAnnePreuss;Designer:PeterOldenburg.
I I8
 Thisis surelya mostextraordinary stateof affairs.If ourjudgments in the matter
areso completelysubjective,andsubjectto a timescalebeyondourcontrol,arewe
justified,whenwe arelookingat clothes,in usingthe wordbeautyat all?Thereis a
furthercomplication. Whatever elseartmaybe, it surelyinvolvesa certainharmony
in theparts.Butmereharmony is notenough;it is aptto bedull,or,asFrancisBacon,
withhisacuteinsight,putit, "Thereis noexcellentBeautythathathnotsomestrange-
nessin theproportion." Thisis theexaggeration a propos in whichsomehaveseenthe
essenceof art.But if artis exaggeration a propos, fashionseemsveryoftento be exag-
gerationmal a propos.
If we thinkthatthefemalebodyis itselfa beautiful object(andonlySchopenhauer
willdisagree withusaboutthis),whatarewe to thinkof whatfashionhasdoneto it?
In the Elizabethan epochit cut of thelegsaltogether, so thateverywomanbecamea
meretorsoemerging froma drum.In the earlyeighteenthcentury,by meansof pan-
niers,it madethe femalebodylookextremelywidewhenseenfromthe frontand
extremelynarrowwhenseen fromthe side.The mid-nineteenth-century crinoline
madeit seemimmensely wideall round.The bustlethatfollowedgaveeverywoman
the colossalbuttocksof the Hottentot.The earlytwentiethcenturyslicedherin two
at thewaistandpushedtheupperpartseveralinchesoutof true.The I920S abolished
thebosomaseffectively asprevious epochshadabolished thelegs.
The psychologists haveattemptedto explainthis by the theoryof"the shifting
erogenous zone."According to thistheorythe femalebodyis attractiveonlywithin
certainlimits,indeedat certainseasons,as can be seenamongsavagetribeswhose
womengoaboutina stateof nudity.Theonlywayinwhichit canbemadepermanently
attractiveis to shutoff,so to speak,its totalimpactandto emphasize onebeautyafter
another.Thisis exactlywhatfashionsetsout to do. In oneperiodit emphasizes the
smallnessof thewaist,in anotherthesmoothness of theshoulders, in anotherthegrace
of thelegs.Fashionsays:"Look!Hereis something youhadforgottenaboutfora dec-
ade,or perhapsfora century;hereis a formneglectedtoo long,hereis a beautytoo
muchconcealed."
Fashionis a gameof hide-and-seek, playedbetweenseductionandmodesty,with
movesso rapidthat,fromone minuteto another,no one cantell which,or who,is
"It."New fashionsarealways"daring" becauseourattentionis beingdirectedto a
partof the femalebodythat,havingbeenhiddenfora generation, hasbeenableto
accumulate eroticcapitalandhasnowalltheattraction of novelty;recentfashionsare
always"dowdy"becauseourattentionis beingdirectedto a beautythatis already
familiarandof whichwe havebegunto growtired.Thisis allverysatisfactory asfar
asit goes,butit doesnot seemto haveverymuchto do withartor beauty.
Arewe thento throwin thespongeandadmitthatnopurpose is servedby attribut-
ingeitherto theclothespeoplewear?Thiswouldseemto bealtogether toopessimistic
a view.Oncea fashionhasemergedfromthe "gapin appreciation" thatinevitably
followsit (andduringthisperiodanyjudgment wepassuponit is necessarily invalid),
onceit haspassedthroughthe stageswe havementioned andwe canlookuponit as
historicalcostume,wearesurelyentitledto callit "beautiful"- if it is.

I I9
 Er it would be to abrogateaestheticstandards
altogethernot to admit that the clothesof some
epochsare beautifulin a sense in which others
arenot. Whenwe turnoverthe pagesof any well-
illustratedhistory of costume (and there are
dozens of such books availabletoday), we find
our eye restingwith pleasureon a hundredex-
amplesof paintingsthat are not only beautiful
in themselvesbut depictpeoplein what we have
no hesitationin callingbeautifulclothes.
Thereis no lackof documentation.In Egyptian
wall paintingsand bas-reliefswe can admirethe
close-fittingdiaphanous dressesof the courtladies
and their wide collarsof gold and brightstones.
In Assyrianand Babyloniancarvingswe can see
the fringedgarmentswith which both men and
women were clothed. In the figurinesand fres-
ThepriestWoserhet and his wife and mother.Tempera coes of ancientCrete we see womenrepresented
copy,by N. de GarisDavies,of a wallpaintingin in startlinglymoderncostumes,with tight waists,
thetombof Woserhet, Thebes,Dynastyxzx (timeof flouncedskirts,and daringdecolletages.One of
SetiI, about13lo B.C.), 30.4.33 these creaturesin a fragmentof a frescoin the
Palaceof Knossosis so elegantthat she is known
as "LaParisienne."
A>shurnasirpal
11and an attendant.Relieffromthe
The beautyof ancientGreekcostumewas en-
palaceof A>shurnasirpal
11(883-859B.C.), A>ssyrian. tirely in the drapingof oblongsof woolencloth,
Giftof JohnD. Rockefeller,
Jr., 31.l43.4 andwhateffectscouldbe obtainedby suchsimple
meansa thousandstatuestestify. Who can deny
the dignity of the Romantoga and not marvel
at the elaborationof the ladies'headdressesand
the simplegraceof their flowinggowns?But as
yet thereis little or no hint of the useof materials
rich or beautifulin themselves.With the rise of
Byzantiumall that is changed.To this day, in
the Churchof SanVitaleat Ravenna,we cansee,
translatedinto glittering mosaic, the costumes
worn by Justinianand Theodora;the cloth of
gold encrustedwith gems, the jeweled fibulae,
the collarsof preciousstones, the red leather
shoes. But the clothes of both sexes are still
draperies;there is no attempt to reveal or to
exploit the shapeof the humanfigure.

[20
Romancopyof a Greetstatueof theIII centuryB.C.
Marble.Giffof Mrs.FrederictF. Thompson,03.I2.g.
StephenL. Murphy
Photograph:

TheEmpressTheodora.Mosaicfrom the Churchof San Vitale,

Slinari-SrtReference
Ravenna.Byzantine,VI century.Photograph:
Bureau
I2I
 Then camethe longeclipseof the DarkAges
whenthecostumeof allclasses wasreducedto its
simplestterms.And so it remaineduntil the
Crusadesintroduced themenof westernEurope
to a degreeof luxuryandrefinement they had
neverdreamedo£ They camebackfromthe
Levantwith the richstufEs of Damascus(hence
theworddamask), withmaterialspatternedwith
the strangebeaststhatwereto becomeheraldic
emblems,with fine linenand purplecloth en-
richedwiththreadof gold.Andthen,towardthe
endof thefourteenth thatwe
centurysomething
areentitledto callfashionbeginsto appear.
Courtiers ArrasorTournai,
withRoses.Wooltapestry, about1435-I440.
gfeet 7 inches
X ssS inches.
I o feet Fund,O9.I37.2
Rogers

Portraitof a Lady,by an untnown Britishpainter,XVI century.Oil on

wood,443/2x 34h inehes.Gift of J. PierpontMorgan,sz.Z49.s

I22
 It arosein the luxuriouscourtsof Franceand
Burgundy,where,in a singlegeneration,the
threemainweaponsof fashionwerediscovered.
Thesewere:decolletage, andhead-
tight-lacing,
dressesof strikingdesign.The veilswithwhich RobertRich,Earl of Warwict,by Sir 4nthonyvanDyct(Z599-Z64Z),
womenhad concealedtheir attractiveness for Flemish.Z632-s635. Oil on canvas,84 x 50S inches.TheJulesS.
49.7.26
BacheCollection,
centuriesnowtookon a lifeof theirown,roseon
wiresand assumedthe shapesof steeplesand
hornsand butterflies. They no longertriedto
hidethefacebutto drawattentionto it. Devil's
work indeed,as the monkishmoralistspro-
claimed; and,if beautybea snare,nodoubtthey
wereright,forsomeof thelatemedieval fashions
areseductiveevento the moderneye.
By comparison, themodesof thesixteenthcen-
turyseemmodestenough,andwhenwereachthe
age of Elizabethmostpeoplewouldagreethat
the shapesof women'sclothesare amongthe
ugliesteverdevised.For they almostabolished
the femaleformaltogether,and presentedthe
appearance of an iconinsteadof a woman.The
only beautyto be foundwasin the materials
used,whichhaveneverperhaps beenricher,with
glitteringbrocades, embroideries,
elaborate and
jewelsset alongeveryseam. Added to all this
wasthe fantasticruS,thatstrangeexaggeration
of thesimpledeviceof a drawstringat thethroat,
whichnonethelessis capable of extremebeauty,
withits layeruponlayerof finelinenedgedwith
lace,putting,as it were,a frameroundthe face
and addingto the hieraticeSectof the whole
costume.
WhentherufflostitsstifEness andfelluponthe
shoulders, andwhenthe skirtsand bodicesas-
sumedmorenaturallines,the resultwasa very
beautifulcostume:that wornby the ladiesof
the Cavaliers of the timeof CharlesI -and by
the Cavaliersthemselves.Most peoplewould
agreethatthe I640S produced someof the most
attractiveclothesfor bothmen and womenin
thewholehistoryof costume.
I23
 MadameFavart,by Franzcois-Hubert Drouais(I 727-I 775), French.
s757. Oil on canvas,3IM X 25 inches.Mr. andMrs.IsaacD. Fletcher
Collection,Bequestof IsaacD. Fletcher,I 7. I 20.2I 0

Portraitof theArtistwith Two Pupils,by z4delaideLabille-Guiard

(I749-I803), French.s785. Oil on canvas,83 x 59H2inches.Gift of
Julia H. Berwind,53.225.5

I24
The restof the centurysawa fallingoff, and
anotherhigh pointof beautywasnot reached
againuntilaboutI740. Howenchanting is any
costumea la Pompadour!The neat, powdered
head,the little bowroundthe throat,the deep
squaredecolletage,the embroidered stomacher
or beribboned corsage, thehalf-sleeves withtheir
frothof lace,theamplebutnot distorting skirt,
the tiny red-heeled shoes-it is the acmeof ele-
gantartificiality,a worthywitnessto thestylistic
homogeneity of therococo.
Theageof Marie-Antoinette spoilsthepicture
by the excessivesizeof the headdress, and yet
therewasa newde'sznvolture in theclothesof the
I780S thatis not withoutits charm.Thedresses MadameDesbassayns de Richemontand Her Daughter,Camille,by
werelessrich,thematerials moreflimsy,theem- Jacques-Louis
David(s748-s825), French.A>bout Z800. Oil on canvas,

broideries morewidelyspaced.Thereis a general 46 x 35S inches.Giftof Julia A>.Berwind,53.6s.4

air of lightness,or rathertherewouldbe if it
werenot forthe top-heavy hats.
The Revolutionsweptit all away,and what
emerged afterward wasa stylethatrestored har-
monyandproportion by lettingthe beautyof
thebodyspeakforitself.In spiteof Thackeray's
opinion,most peopletoday find the Empire
gowns,depictedin the newlyinventedfashion
plate,attractive enough.Withtheirstraightlines
andhighwaiststheyat leastavoidedtheabsurd
exaggerated sleevesof the I830S andtheessential
dowdiness of the following decade.Andthen,in
the I850S, fashionflowered againwiththemany-
flouncedskirtsthatfinallybecameso amplethat
thecrinoline hadto beinventedto supportthem.
ZirtueRewarded: 4 Boothin VanityFair,
7yWilliamMakepeaceThackeray
Z8ss -z863), British.FromVanityFair
p. 624. TheNew Yort
z 848), opposite
?ublicLibrary

I26
Of coursethe crinolinewasan absurdity,but
it gave wide scopeto the designer,andsurviving
sketchesby Worthshowwhat a couturierof ge-
nius could do with it. Its successor,the bustle,
was infinitelyless attractive,and it is hard to
decide which was the uglier, the bustle of the
early seventiesor the bustle of I 885. Balloon
sleevesin the middle nineties,and perhapswe
find them acceptableonly becausewe see them
throughthe eyes of Toulouse-Lautrec.

MadameCharpentier andHer Children,by Pierre-

A!ugusteRenoir(I 84I-I9I9), French.I 878. Oil on
canvas,60H x 74 inches.WolfeFund,07.I22.
MadameCharpentier's dresswas designedby Worth

X SundayAfternoon at the GrandeJatte,by Georges

Seurat(I 859-I 89I ), French.24boutI 885. Oil on
canvas,27 X 4I inches.Bequestof SamuelH.
Lewisohn,SI .I I2.6

Detailof MadameThade'e Natansonat the Theater,by

Henride Toulouse-Lautrec (I 864-I 90I ), French.

I 895. Gouache on cardboard, whole24 X 29 inches.

Gift of Mr. andMrs.RichardRodgers,subjectto a
life estatein thedonors,64.I53

I27
 The Wyndham Sisters,byJohnSinger
Sargent (1856-l 925), Smeriean.Zgoo.
Oil on eanvas, g feet 7 inehesx 7 feet
8 inah. Wolfe Fund, 27.67

So we cometo the swirlingskirtsanddripping

laceand picturehatsof 1 belle epoque, to be fol-
lowed by the Orientalfantasiesof Paul Poiret.
Morerecentfashionsare perhapstoo nearto us
to be the objectof anyvalidjudgment.But when
we look backover the wholepageantof costume,
we cansurelyagreethat therehasbeenmuchart
andmuchbeautyandthat fashionhasfrequently
(if not always)giventhemtheirchance.

Designsfor threedresses.Plate3 from

PaulIribe,LesRobesde PaulPoiret
(Paris,1908). The ElishaWhittelsey
Fund,59.59z.2

I 28
IS FASHIONAN ART?

NORHIAN NORELL

LOUISE NEVELSON
IRENE SHARAFF
ALWIN NIKOLAIS
ANDRE COURREGES

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin ®
www.jstor.org
NORMAN NORELL

Is fashion an art? that there are too many clothes designed, too many
Norman Norell, one of America's most renowned fash- choices. Look at colored stockings. They just give
ion designers, hesitates, then gives a qualified yes. "The women another pit to fall into."
best of fashion is worthy of the name art."
Norell picks Gres, Chanel, Vionnet, and Balenciaga as Howdo you feel about what's happening now in
the artistsof fashion of the twentieth century, declines art, design, fashion?
to make any judgment on fashion as an art historically. "It'snot my era. I'm sixty-sevenyears old and I go along
"It's hard to say if you didn't live in a period. Pictures the best I can, but really I'm just hanging on. I would
don't mean a thing . . . even the clothes themselves love to have an additional room in my apartmentsimply
don't. What counts is how clothes look in life. Take to put modern things in. A few very good modern
New Yorktoday. A woman who is all dressed up looks things from the thirtiesand forties as well as from today.
awful. With the way our buildings are, the woman who Forinstance, I recently saw a huge modern painting that
is overdressed looks like a fool." was all reds and black and white. In front of it there was
a mass of fresh red flowers. It was marvelous.
Howwouldyou define the art of fashion? "As for fashion, yes, I think short skirts are fine. Why
"Well, if you're talking about fine stitching or intricate not? They suit the times. I'm tired of all this talk about
detail, about some great thing that took weeks and bad legs. After all, there are a lot of ugly faces hanging
weeks to make, that's not what I mean by the modern out. Look at the young kids. They don't care whether
art of fashion. Anyone can sit around and sew for days they have good legs or bad legs.
and days. It doesn't prove a thing any more. Modern "Actually,I think fashion has been a little behind art for
fashion is more direct and simple." some years now, but we're catching up."
Still, for Norell,elegance and quality are the two attri-
butes of fashion that count the most. "Quality means a Howwouldyou describe the directionof
lot to me. I like to think about people wearing their modernfashion?
clothes a long time. It was drilled into me when I was "More and more practical, fewer and fewer things. I
young. There's no getting around it: good quality looks think more and more people will keep what they need
great. The other stuff never looks any more than just and drop what they don't need. Alreadyit's obvious that
okay." hats and jewelry in the traditionalsense make a woman
Norell considers the period just before World War I as look older. When I went to Palm Beach recently for a
the most elegant era in modern fashion, but paradoxical- few days I took two pairsof pants and a few shirts, and
ly it is Chanel, the designer who did the most to displace I only wore one pair of the pants."
that tradition of elegance, that he cites as the most in- Norell thinks that the new practicalityand paring down
fluential force in twentieth-centuryfashion. will have far-reachingeffects on the field of cosmetics,
"Everythingthat's going on in fashion now reallystarted too. "Women will use cosmetics for fun or they won't
in the twenties. The seeds are all there. The main thing use them at all except for health." (Thisis in contrast to
that happened was that all of that changing stopped... the present main purpose of cosmetics, which is to tint,
one dress for morning, another for lunch, another for paint, or simulate youth.)
tea, etc., etc. Chanel pared it down to one dress or suit Norman Norell takes the current explosions of young
to wear all day plus that rag of an evening dress for fashion with a grain of salt, but he is not enraged by
parties. I still rememberthat evening dress. If you didn't them. "There is something about the new fashion that
have that dress on, you were out. Everychic woman lacks roots or permanence. You feel like, 'Okay, we've
wore it, but, of course, each one did something different had this for three months, what are we going to do
with it. That was the fun of it. My idea of chic is that next?' But I think it's a good thing. We'll all come out
everyone in the world would have the same dress and of it much better off. It'sa heck of a big physic."
the chicest woman would be whoever could do the best
thing with it. The main trouble with fashion today is Interview by Priscilla Tucker

130
Culotte suit with wool jersey
blouse, spring 1965,
by Norman Norell

Embroideredabsinthe
evening dress with forest
green velvet coat, fall 1965,
by Norman Norell

Roman-stripedwool trench
coat, spring 1967,
by Norman Norell
4_- l

l I 10
LOUISE NEVELSON

Is fashion an art?
Modern sculptor Louise Nevelson says no. Mrs. Nevel- in time. My day is filled with my work and my interests
son, a pioneer of environmental sculpture, thinks that r dance, exercise, comparative religion. I can't have
to qualify as an art,fashion must be an expression of the my brain in a million little pieces.
wearer and must relate to her environment. She dis- "I don't like chiffon too pretty for the way the world
misses the concept of fashion being a designer's idea or looks today. I saw two adorable girls on the street, but
a fleshless sketch. they were too feminine. Twiggy looks right,they didn't.
"Today it's the designer who gets all the attention. I (Or I should say Twiggy in photographs.Did you see her
was reading about an art opening and every woman in person? She wasn't like her photos at all.) The way
even the ones who had collected all those beautifu the world looks, we need a new approach to fashion."
thingsr was identified by who designed her dress, not
by how she looked or what she did. It's insanity to Howdoes the worldlook to you?
negate these ladies, reduce them to a label. I'm much "Science fiction is becoming science fact. The new
more interested in knowing something about them than architecture and furniture are making New York into
I am in knowing what label they wore. science fact. You can't have that romantic look any
"Fashioncould be an art, but it isn't. On earth at any more. Take beautiful antique furniture.A house filled
time there are few people who understandthemselves with beautifulantiques is a period piece; it's not a home.
well enough to bring themselves to a high art. Today Most of Americais living in the nineteenth century. Look
many rich people are living at such a pace, busy from at San Francisco it bores me. They think they're the
childhood partyingand travelingall the time, that they elite, but we went through all that years ago.
are not interested in developing themselves, so they lean "I feel I am gearing into my time. I'm more contented
on designers, hairdressers.I'm not sure they're not right and feel better with the present day, from architecture
but that's not art." to furnitureto the way we set our table. The casual way
we do things now is more gracious than all that silver
Howdo you choose your own clothes? and china and glass. I'd like a wall-less house, one not
Whatdo you like to wear? divided into rooms for special functions. A house used
"Being 'well dressed' is not a question of having expen- to be history and decoration; now it's structure and
sive clothes or the 'right' clothes I don't care if form.
you're wearing rags but they must suit you. If you "We are working toward a total unity and that would
think you're not put together well, you can't confront include clothes. It won't be so unique, but it will be
the world. I don't go in for dresses as such. Even as a ordered. The way we live now clutters the mind. We
young girl I felt that kind of fashion was too temporary. abuse ourselves because we don't know the toll we take.
I look for something that suits me, something more We don't have meters on our minds and senses."
permanent. I like wearing lovely things around me in
the daytime, old lace dresses, Japanese robes. When I Whathappens to the individualin this new world?
buy something new in a store I may not wear it for a "Man has become the cheapest thing on the maricet.In
year until I get used to it. Often I find I have to create the old days we had more individualismbut not neces-
my own clothes." Mrs. Nevelson produced a box of her sarilymore art.There'snot much place for the originalor
own jewelry, heavy, thick chunks of wood worked di- personal. Take minimal art; I'm not for it or against
mensionally so you could look into them just as you it. But I am all for outer space. Man has explored this
look into her intricately pieced-together wall-sized earth. He has new worlds to conquer, new visions. Man
sculptures. is already expanding his mind to outer space."
"The main trouble with fashion today is that it takes too
much time. I usually wear something around my head
because I can't be bothered going to have my hair Photograph:William Grigsby.Copyright(B)
done. It's a production. I'm concerned with economy December 1965 by The Conde Nast Publications,Inc.

133
 6a z 1W' H

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Design sketch by Irene Sharafffor the IntegrationBallet of Halleluiah,Baby!Copyright(5)1967 by Irene Sharaff

 says they are play acting all the time, playing one role
IRENESHARAFF after another. "Afterall, they get a world tour simply by
turningon TV."
As an example of her own influence from stage to
fashion she cites the color palette of The King and 1. "I
was the first to use Thaibok silk. I had seen a photo of
the fabric in Art News and finally tracked it down to a
tiny hole on EastSixty-firstStreet. That was in 1951. 1
Is fashion an art? don't think people were aware of the Asian color palette
IreneSharaff,one of America'sbusiestandmostsuccess- before then."
ful designersof theatricaland movie costumes,says
definitelyyes, fashionis an art."Of courseit depends Howwouldyou describe the directionof
on whatyou meanbyart,butthe creativepartof fashion modernfashion?
has alwaysworkedalongsidethe creativeforces that "I think that great femininity is coming in. A woman's
havedefinedand coloreda decade,an era.As muchas place has changed economically, and she is more and
art,fashionis a manifestationof the times- of its psy- more on an equal footing with men. Aggressiveness is
visual
chological,social,political, existence." no longer necessary to succeed, and I think that is al-
MissSharaff,whosecareerbegan with EvaLeGallienne's ready reflected in clothes.
Alice in Wonderlandforthe CivicRepertory, is currently "I won't gamble on silhouette, but I think these days
workingon Barbra costumesforthe movieof
Streisand's just about anything goes. What is more importantis the
FunnyGirl. Nearlyeveryassignmentin between-un- perfection of the instrument of the garment. Shoes,
countedplays,includingWest Side Story and The King stockings, underwear all have been perfected so that
ancl1,andeighteenmovies,includingtheTaylor/Burton they are comfortable to wear, easy to care for. Things
Cleopatra-has begunwithseriousresearchintothe life work better.
andtimesof the period. "One of the things that have always fascinated me in my
research is the tremendous influence that inventions
In the context of history,what do you think future have had. When power weaving came in, the whole
generationswill see as the most importantforce concept of fashion changed. Now we are in the midst
in fashion today? of an era with all kinds of wonderful new inventions.
"TheAmericanwayof life.AlthoughParisis stillpower- Look what electronics has done for music. We listen
ful for economicshockvalue (forinstance,if everyone calmly to music today that would have sounded very
in Parissuddenlylowered hems ten inches a lot of strange even three years ago."
womenoverherewouldpanic),in factParisis no longer Although Miss Sharaffthinks that the influence of new
top bananaon the bananatree. Our greatestexportis technologies on fashion will be enormous in the next
the Americanway of life. Everyonewants to lead the decades, she is no partisanof the throw-away revolu-
kindof casuallife we do, and naturallythis is havinga tion. "I think man by nature likes to keep things. More
great impacton clothes."Miss Sharaffherself wears people are collectors. I think people will collect old
Norells("I'mmost comfortablein them"),plus skirts things and use them in new ways, much as Picasso used
and sweatersor Puccisfor working. a tin can for his goat sculpture or an automobile for the
head of his monkey."She says that what the Englishkids
Is there a difference between designing costumes are doing in their forays on Portobello Road is to "use
for the theater or movies and designing clothes their past to exist in the present."
for real life? An art student and painter before she was a designer,
"Yes.Mostcostumedesignersarenot dealingwithcon- Miss Sharaffis still a dedicated Sundaypainter.She finds
temporarylife. They are historianswith a sense of modern sculpture more imaginativethan modern paint-
poetry." ing, feels that clothes and art are moving closer together
But Miss Sharaffthinksthat the movies in particular all the time. With all the wonders of modern technol-
have alreadyhad considerableinfluenceon everyday ogy, "we no longer need the protection of animal skins.
clothes and that the gap between theaterand life, art Freedfrom utilitarianism,fashion is now free to be more
andlife,is narrowing allthe time."Clothesareno longer of a form unto itself."
clothes today,they are costumes.Thereare too many
collections,too many designs." As for today'skids,she Interview by Priscilla Tucker

135
ALWIN NIKOLAIS

Is fashion an art? always insisted that what he is after is an experience of

Alwin Nikolais, whose Henry Street Dance Theater has total theater. He writes his own music, does his own
been a leading avant-gardeforce in the dance world for scenery and lighting, and makes his own costumes.
the past decade, says definitely no.
"Fashionis not an art because women rely so much on When you design costumes what are you
other people to design them. Most women wear what aiming for?
sort of fits. Clothes should state yourself. After all, crea- "Mycostumes are part of a total stage design, action, or
tivity is a statement of self, so for clothes, fashion, to be painting.The idea is not to see each body separately.My
an art,a woman would have to design herself. Lastsum- stage designs are a theatricalabstractionof the way I see
mer in Utah I saw a kid go by on a motorcycle. He was man-not as an ego, but as part of a socio-economic
wearing a crazy long fur coat and a hat. It was the most mechanism, an agreeable but not a central part. I have
compelling thing, particularlyagainst that landscape. been in revolt against the whole Freudianthing. I have
But even in Southampton I saw a typical 'well-dressed' often been accused of dehumanization of the dancers.
woman you know how they dress out there-walk- It's not that, it's de-egoization. I see a bigger state of
ing down the street followed rightbehind by a teenager. being for man. Man has to learn to design himself into
The teenager really looked much better. Everybody the total environment, to see himself as a relatively
could be beautiful, really, but most women present minor part of the whole universal thing. We need to
themselves so awkwardly. Women should set them- have the experience of living in a world of motion,
selves forth attractivelybut innocently, like a cat. A cat sound, color, and action, and having it affect us and us
is never a presentation,but an innocent happening. I've affect it."
always liked what the Navajossay when they part.They In his dance-theater productions Mr. Nikolais has pio-
never say 'Goodbye.' They say 'Go in beauty.' " neered many materials and techniques and concepts
Although reviewed by dance critics, Mr. Nikolais has just hitting the fashion world now.
What are some of the new materials that you have Spoleto, then to do a TV program in a London studio,
used for costumes, and new techniques you have then the next day to Athens where I saw a play done
experimented with, and what were some of the exactly as the ancient Greeks would have done it. And
problems? that thing everyone complains about, TV.It's marvelous.
"In Kaleidoscope (1956) I colored the dancers' hands Turnit on and there's India.
and faces so that the figures wouldn't look decapitated. "Most reviewers have a literaryapproach to the theater
What interested me most was that as I watched one of and most dance critics see dance purely in terms of
my dancers painting one side of her face blue and the kinetics. It's their training. But all of that is changing.
other side green, I really saw her for the first time. She Kids don't trust words much any more. They feel the
was much more beautiful than I had thought." need to sense everything more strongly. No, I've never
Mr. Nikolais has always found fabric useful in abstract- taken LSD I need Miltown to keep my expanded con-
ing the human figure into sculpture or shape. "Some of sciousness down but I can understand why people
our earliest experiments were with wool jersey, forms take it. Todayyou need to see and hear with your teeth."
moving inside the jersey ratherthan using the jersey to
drape the body. It was an idea I later noticed was being Interviewby PriscillaTucker
used in fashion. I began using ultraviolet fabrics three
years ago, and recently we have experimented with
boning very light fabrics in such a way that the figure
gets fatter or thinner as it gets up or down. One of the
biggest fabric problems is that materialsare so periodic.
It often happens that we can no longer buy the material
we need. For instance, light-reflecting silver Helanca
was all over the place a couple of years ago, then last
spring we couldn't find any.
"Some of our most difficultexperiments have been with
the use of light. In Prison (1957) 1 used lights projected
on the dancersto breakup the bodies. Forexample, one
dancer's costume was bright salmon and white stripes
on which I then projected stripes of light. It gave him
the look of being fragmented. I was entranced by the
optical effect. Since then I've used movie projectors,
slide machines with wide-angle lenses, light bulbs. Last
winter in Somniloquy the dancers carried globes de-
signed to reflectboth on themselves and on the environ-
ment. Designingwith moving light forms is very difficult.
The light is never bright enough. The problem is to get
enough intensityof light without heat."

The charges of gaudiness and vulgarity that are

often leveled against the current avant-garde in
fashion (mod, op, psychedelic) have also often
appeared in reviews of your dance-theater piecesw
How do you feel about these charges?
"I'venever understoodwhat they meant.Justlook at the
world around us. I only hope it's lack of breadth of
vision in the reviewer and that I'm seeing what's really
there. Not that I reject the old. I love antiques, for in-
stance. They give you a way to communicate with the
past. But there is no need any more to be locked into Scenes from Sanctum and Vaudevilleof the Elements,
time or space. Man can go backwardor forwardat will. dance-theater pieces created by Alwin Nikolais.
In one short trip I went from modern New York to Photographs:Ken Kay,Faludi
 ANDRE COURREGES

Croquis de tendance,
winter 1967,
by Andre Courreges

Is fashion an art?
"Iwouldcertainlynotaffirmthatfashionis not art,"says frills and chiffons. To me it is the woman who is im-
AndreCourreges, whosefirstcollection,in 1963,opened portant,not the dress-what she does, how she moves,
upa newfashionera."Butthisis somethingforothersto how she lives. Her clothes should not be chic abstrac-
judge.Theprofessionof fashiondesignerfor me is sim- tions. They must be rationaland logical. It is not logical,
ply a job likethatof anyartisanwho attemptsto intro- for instance, to work all day on three-inch heels. No
duce tasteandproportionintothe objecthe is creating, woman is born with three or even two inches under her
exactlyin the wayan architecttriesto builda harmoni- feet. Heels are as absurd as the bound feet of ancient
ous structure. Orientals.
"I havealwayslikedto paintand, being a staunchad- "My aim is to dress women to permit them to live and
mirerof LeCorbusier andSaarinen,I mighthavebecome to live with a piece of clothing, to take into considera-
an architecthad my familybeen able to finance my tion their real needs, which are indivisibly functional
studies.Theywere not, andso couturehas becomethe and aesthetic. The purely functional can be very ugly.
bestwayI'vefoundto formulatemyideas.Thefrivolous, Butthe functional must be the soul of dress, its composi-
superficialaspectsof my professiondo sometimesof- tion, its interior rhythm,and its sense. Aesthetics is the
fend me, since for me coutureis not an end in itself.I envelope. I do not believe that a true designer can
trulywantto bringsolutionsto the problemsof modern conceive a dress in the abstract.Eachwork of art, if you
women. Designinga buildingand makinga dresshave want to call it that, must have its 'raison d'etre.' Useless,
muchin common.The principalconcernof both is to luxuriousart for me is a thing of the past. It's dead.
give the impressionof graceand harmonywhile at the "Until relativelyrecent times, after all, the 'artist,'as we
same time being practical.My designsare simple and now term him, was an extremelyfunctional being. I even
functionallike modernarchitecture.I havealwaystried doubt that the fourteenth- and fifteenth-centurypainters
to consecratean importantpart of my work to the were thus designated. A fashion designer is an artist to
functional aspects, to have real contact with life. the same extent as a cabinetmaker, a ceramist, a car-
Fashiontodayis too often dividedinto toughchic and penter-or an architect.Ancient Egyptianfurniturewas
froufrou.I consider neitherof these mine. It is the studied and comfortable. It was also very beautiful. The
womanwho wearsthe clothes,theirdetails,coloring, Romanesque capitals were sculpted by master crafts-
seaming,andcut thatmakefor femininity,not milesof menxWe called the cathedral builders masons, and the

138
cathedralshad very specific functions. They were con- technological and sociological advances of his time. If
structedto serve manypurposes, induce meditation, call any one of these lags behind, something inaesthetic hap-
in and unite the masses, and, as the spirit of the Church pens. When the artisansbuilding the cathedralsapplied
changed, so did the function of the cathedral.See how the purityof their art to the most advanced techniques,
soaring Gothic makes you raise your eyes to the sky in what they created was beautiful. Look at pure Gothic,
adoration, as low Romanesque makes you bow your then how it deteriorated with flamboyant, and down-
head in humility. ward when unnecessarydecoration was applied simply
"Be it the construction of a house according to the for ornamentationand not in relation to any additional
needs of a family or the construction of a dress, the structuralneed.
problem is the same-how best to fit into what I call "In all periods of fashion, interesting and beautiful
'the modern granddesign.' Listento the music of Shon- things have been done. The court and chateau costumes
berg, Berg,Xenakis,or look at kinetic art and you will were extremely valid when women were on show as
see what I mean. sumptuous decorative objects.
"I cannot dress everyone. I cannot dress the Chanel "Butthen I rarelylook back into history. I prefer to look
woman and I thinkshe still exists. It is a question of age ahead [while so many other couturiers haunt museums,
and habit. Chanelwas a great creator,well ahead of her rummagingfor inspirationin engravingsand old manu-
time, especially from 1925 to 1935. She was at the fore- scripts, Courreges picks only an occasional idea from
front of modernism, functionally and aesthetically. one of his pet passions, rugby, auto racing, or the like].
"It is all a question of modernism. Look at cars. It is Using past dress as inspiration is as ridiculous as trying
always interestingto study old models. During all peri- to perfect a spaceship by studying the steam engine.
ods there are decadent forms and real forms. Today, if "Likean architect, I work on my drawing board with my
most automobile design is decadent, it is because aes- models and my fabrics. I don't need to see the woman
thetics is in the airplane,in the purityof aerodynamics- who will wear my clothes any more than an architect
like sharks.Fishare particularlyaesthetic. needs to build a house before he decides where he's
"I think that during each period what we call art is going to put the windows. We can do all that on the
produced when (as today with airplanes) the worker plan. I am a technician, and drawing is my manner of
applies the maximum of his taste to the maximum in philosophizing, of reflecting.

139
"My models are of different types but always beauti- "I have said that my clothes aim to liberate the spirit as
ful, more beautiful than most of my clients. Using their well as the eyes. Don't forget the body. The woman who
proportions I create a prototype-a certain norm of interests me does not belong to any particularphysical
modern woman, an aesthetic canon. In the salon on my type. Butshe does live a certainsort of life. She is active,
tall girls, skirtsare exaggeratedlyshort. Because of this, moves fast, works, is usuallyyoung and modern enough
my clothes very often fit almost any woman. to wear modern, intelligent clothes. She is often Ameri-
"In any case, it is perfectly ridiculous to focus on hem- can, quicker to pick up new ideas than Europeans.
lines, to be obsessed by length. It'sall a question of pro- "Awoman is trulybeautiful only when she is naked and
portion. Wearing my clothes is above all a matter of she knows it. So why all the hypocrisyanyway?Why not
spirit, not of knees. I myself know how rare are those liberate women from girdles and bras, just as their
beautiful knees, those designed in the exact continua- mothers were liberated from the infamous ribbed
tion of the thigh line and mostly found on Negroes. corsets? Without a bra, a girl loses a few inches of her
[Courreges generally has at least one Negro model.] bosom. So what? Our fathers loved beauties for their
Ultra-shortdresses help to balance long torsos. Butthere caged-in, tortured, twenty-inch waists. Our ancestors
are no rules. I never stop testing, adapting, thinking worshiped the Hottentot Venus. Now we giggle when
about each woman I dress. Each is an individual prob- we see her, so why not accept the inevitable evolution,
lem. If women who buy my dresses are shorter, the the liberationof woman's body in our hectic space age.
skirtcan be lengthened to create the harmony,but gen- The trouble is that, although couture could be up there
erallythe prototypesare such that the models that fit my at the forefrontof our times, along with serial music and
five-foot-ten mannequins also fit even my shortest kinetic art, the public in all these domains lags behind.
clients. I often have to design space-age clothes with fabricsthat
"I cannot tell you why I think certain proportions are haven't changed since the eighteenth century. I simply
right before I work them out on paper. Then I always am not drawn to silks, which I do not consider func-
know. I know, for instance, that on my models and most tional, except occasionally when they are incorporated
of my clients, the relationof leg to torso is such that the with other materials.I preferflat-faced tattersalls,linens,
body looks right in short skirtswith boots or high socks gabardines,heavy cottons, and synthetics. I find enough
completing the silhouette, preventing it from being top- of these to satisfy my needs, but I know we could go
heavy. But,with my preoccupation for the functional, I much fartherif we, and the fabric manufacturers,knew
firstshortened skirtsfor freedom, then added the boots that the public would buy.
to keep women warm in compensation. It was only then "I suppose we shouldn't complain. Wozzeck and Moses
that I discovered boots to be indispensableaesthetically. and Aaronare just reachingpublic comprehension now,
My hats are something else. I called the old ones decades after they were composed. This is probably
'Calderstabiles,' but now I find that they were a purely normal. A musician or a painter spends fourteen hours
aesthetic touch with no functional reason for being. a day working out his solutions, whereas a listener or
Why keep them simply because of convention, when a viewer devotes only an hour now and then to the con-
woman's own naturalwell-brushed hair is generallysuf- sideration of the same problems.
ficient to complete the volume? Now I create hats only "Unfortunatelywe must dress woman now. Our crea-
for rainwearor very functional ones for winter. tions are temporal. Not manuscriptsor canvas, they can-
"Thepredominanceof white in my collections has often not be stored until the public consciousness is ready.
been viewed as purely aesthetic. But I have chosen Luckilythere are those happy few who do live with their
white for its functional qualities as well. After all, it is times, and one thing is certain. Women have become
considered the most functional color in hot climates. liberated little by little through thought, work, and
We dress babies and small children in white. For me clothes. I cannot imagine that they will ever turn back.
white means health and cleanliness, which I in turn Perhapsthey will continue to suffer occasionally to be
associate with beauty. Men wparwhite shirts,not black. beautiful,but more than ever they seek to be both beau-
Blacksoils as fast as white, except that the dirt on black tiful and free.
shows less. But is it modern to be dirty?What thought "If the function of art is to bring joy through harmony,
could be more ugly? White is the universalcolor, syn- color, and form, perhapswe can, after all, by dressing a
thesis of all the others. It harmonizes with all other woman to feel younger and to participatefully in life,
colors, puts all other colors into motion. It is flattering bring her joy comparable to that she experiences in
to a woman's complexion, gay and lively. contemplatinga painting Interview by Betty Werther

140
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is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin ®
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La Sortiede l'Ope'ra,byJ.-M. Moreaule Jeune(I74I-I8I4), French.
PlateJor theMonumentdu Costume,I 783. Engraringby GeorgesMal-
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I42
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; fortablydressed
in hisleatherbreechesandgaiters,buthisill-fittingcoat,
; R: spireto contemplate.
Hisumbrella, hisgloves,andthe stripein hissilk
| vestarea matchedgreen.Hissocia]status(post-Revolutionary)isnotim-
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mediately recognizable,
aswasthatof theManof Qualityin thepicture
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f- andthe telescopeprotrudingfromhispocketsuggeststhathe is watch-
7 i T Lir .rZ : it ,k aelt X, A / / / ^ }

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: ti::: 70: X7 t S D; ;D :77:: : : f f 0 fiS j ::; ::: ;

Designfor a ballgown, by PierreNuma, French.s836. Pen 0

and wash drawing,99/8x 5h8 inches.The Elisha Whittelsey 0
Fund,53.664.40

Thisballgown,shownfrontandback,is a goodexampleof
thefashionof shapeandline.Thedetailsareimportant but 0
subservient,unlikethoseof many eighteenth-centuryball
gownsin whichthe ribbonsandlaceblurredthe outline. 0
Herein I836 iS displayedthe bell-shaped skirt,the tiny 0
waist,andthe largesleevesof the period.Thefeetin their
flatslippersareshownbelowthe bouffantskirtwornover 0
petticoats. 0

Tresseusede Che?veux. From Lante and Gatine,Costumes

de Paris(Paris,aboutI824). Hand-
Parisiens:Les Ourrieres
coloredetching,I 1 X 7S inches.HarrisBrisbaneDicRFund,
41.23.3

In Paristoday,justasin I 824, onefindsthegirlswhowork,

especiallythosein the fashiontrades,oftenmoreq beauti-
fullydressedandup to the minutethanthe wealthycus-
tomerswhocanaffordto wearwhattheypleasewhetherit ;
is suitableornot.Theeleganceof thissimpledresscovered 8
by the longpracticalblackapronmakesthe mostof the 0
charmof thiswigmaker, whodisplays falsecurlsona ribbon
liketheonessheherselfis wearing. S
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Winter Fashionsfor 1843 and 1844. Posterfor B. Read a Co., London
and New Yort. Hand-coloredaquatint,17h X 23M2 inches.The Elisha
Whittelsey
Fund,57.616.4

Pretending to be a streetscene,thisis reallya fashionposter.Fashion

modelsare oftenshownin a famousas well as attractivesetting,like
Rockefeller Center,CentralPark,or even the Museumitself.London
fashionsfor the winterof I843-I844 are shownin frontof the Horse
Guardswitha viewof Nelson'sColumn(finished laterthatsameyear)
beingerectedin the background. The exaggeratedandunnatural poses
of severalof the figuresweredrawnto displaythe waythe clothingwas
made,not to starta trendin postureor theposesof models.AlthoughB.
Read&Co.published thesefashions in London,theyalsowerepublishing
themfor"BroadWay,New York,America."

Robe Diana.Designfor DollfusMieg a Co., by LacourandMorin,Paris.

1865. Hand-colored
lithograph,I3 X IOh inches.HarrisBrisbaneDict
Fund,40.I2I.I2

Justhowimportant the fabricmanufacturer

is in the creationof fashion
is oftenforgottenby thecasualshopper. Theinventionof the cottongin
andthedevelopment of spinning
andweavingmachines in theIndustrial
Revolution helpedto makecottondresses cheapandpopular. Thispicture
is a suggestion
by a Frenchtextilefirmfortheuseof thefabrictheywere
manufacturing in I865. The cottonskirtis supported fromunderneath
by so largea hoopthat one wonderswhetherthe ladywith the lilacs
everenteredthegazebo.

On BoardtheCalcutta,byJamesJosephJacquesTissot(I 836-I 902), French.

Etching,woMx I4 inches.HarrisBrisbaneDict Fund,24.I3.5
I 876.

Girl in a Plush Cape. Untnownartist,about 1890.

Not a fashionplate, this etching of Englishwomenpretendingto watch Pen and washdrawingheightened with white,15S x
the harbortraMcfrom the canted deck of H.M.S. Calcuttashows the 9S inches.The Elisha Whittelsey
Fund,53.664.45
fashionsof I87Gin detail. Bustles,tucks, ruffles,pleats,and ribbonscon-
tributeto a style with emphasison the rearof the lady'sfigure.Restricted Whichfashionartistfirstthoughtof usinganexotic-
by costumeslike this, women were better at watchingthan at actually lookingmodelinsteadof thestandardvacuouspretty
participating,and were requiredto sit bolt uprighton the edgesof arm- one is not known,but it seemsto be a twentieth-
less chairs.It is no coincidencethat the circularupholsteredbench or centuryidea,andin partan outcomeof the useof
ottomanreachedthe heightof its importanceat this period.The Calcutta photography, whichhaschangedthecourseof fash-
ladies are more appropriatelydressedfor indoorsin cities, just as the ionillustration.
Theembroideredfur-trimmed plush
fashionablyclassicallady in Henry Moses'schilly English interior (on capewith its moireribbonpussy-catbowand the
page I44), with her transparentloose gown worn over almostno under- rustlingsilk skirtwornby this innocuousyoung
wear,is appropriately dressedfor outdoorsin the countryin somedistant modelcontributetheirtexturesto anotherfashion
and hot climate. of shapeandoutline.

I47
doublet
way
galop
velopment
to the
shows
and
the
waist
horlle.
almost
hose
of an
three-hundred-year
with
atidea.
the
cloak
back.
When,
were
survival
Xit;;
no
in
Cut
longer
and
the
de-
away
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^, tumesprobablyhadfewercomplexesthanthe generation

; Aside from play costulues cowbos, udian, and sptce

0; fashionof comfortand easy maintenance.

12 X 10 zitchesTheElt h W; .1911°Han6tmlor /ahograph, X

Harderto date to the decadewithin the twentiethcenturyby t 4

;:X0200X0000: g
00;000ff::: g ^ :00: 0;:00000;:0;
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fashionthan most eighteenth-and nineteenth-centuryprints, ;: ;t00;0;:;Q000Q000:000:0X
00 tS00;;00X0000;tt;;00t;0X00:0?0000:X;,_X00;;:0tds
this hand-coloredlithographof a I9IO couple dancing the 00Ltitit::i; :000-0
;00000:0:X0000:000;:::ttt:0000:L:
0i ::000:00:000000000000ut::;

gentlemenfound themselvestrying to ride horsebackin long- ;ttt;000000000000]

<000000j000000000:00000000 1 _ _._0000000
skirtedcoats, tailorssolved the problemby splittingthe skirt <00000000:
0 0 _

century, the "tailcoat"survived,and iS sti11worn today for j:0$00ft0t00t00t0;

i: |00 t;t ; b>
extremelyformaloccasionsby dancers,diners,musicians,and j:i: t0000Q00;
;:X:X;
0:00:0;00 :_ 0
waiters,none of whom is expected to ride horsebackon his < 0 J _ : t:00000

I48
 Day, Paris,by EdwardJ. Steichen(born
Steeplechase a greatdealof timein whichto do nothingbutlookand
I879), Smerican.I9II. Gumprint,woMx ws%inches. perhapsflirt, will find them makingelaborateplans
Giftof HIfred
Stieglitz,33.43.5s aheadof time. Today's"all-purpose" dress,designed
for a day at the office,a cocktailparty,anda theater
A majorworkof art, thisphotograph takenat Auteuil engagement, whencomparedto an anachronism like a
in I9I I tellsmoreabouthowit wasto wearthisclothing teagown,forinstance,is shownup forwhatit is, a poor
thananyfashiondrawingcouldorwould.Anyoccasion woman'sgarment - thatis, poorin time,if not in serv-
thatwomenattendin orderto beseen,andthatincludes ants,space,orfinances.
I49
La ToiletteDe'licieuse,
by GeorgeBarbier(born Footbridge,Fifth Hrenue, by Martin Lewis
I882), French.I92I. Etchingwith aquatint, (I883-I962), AJmerican.I928. Etching, 91y'6
hand colored,6 X 4h inches. The Elisha X II1%6 inches. HarrisBrisbaneDict Fund,
Whittelsey
Fund,60.628. I 29.7.2

At just what momentthe fashionshowas we The Fifth Avenuelookof I928 showsshort

knowit today was bornis not clear,but it is skirts,clochehats,andwaistlinesnot always
a naturaloutcome of a vendeuseshowing a successfully
kept low on the hips.Stockings,
customerthe possibilitieswith a live model thenasnowalmosttotallyvisible,hadstopped
insteadof with a drawingand a bolt of cloth. beingembroidered andcolored,andhadset-
A style that looks hilariousonly to the chil- tleddownto varietiesof "fleshcolor."When
dren-not the grandchildren-of those who legswereagainvisibleaftertheireclipsein
woreit, this SirenSuit of I92I iS nevertheless the thirties,the war,whichpredicatedshort
partlyinspiredby the eighteenthcentury:the skirts,madethenewlydeveloped nylonstock-
floatingside panels are reminiscentof pan- ingat thesametimetheonlykindanywoman
niers,and the shoeswith buckles,the tricorn wantedto wearandthemostdifficultto buy.
hat of the client,and the adaptedAdamstyle Thecurrentinterestin stockingsis obviously
of thearchitectural background allshowtwen- due,onceagain,to theiralmostcompleteex-
tieth-centuryimpressionsof earlierfashion. posure.

I50
The Arf of Fashion

- bhequestion as to whetherfashionis artor whetherthereis artin fashionhaslong

beencontroversial. Theexhibition of costumesthatwillopenin thespecialexhibition
galleries
in Octobermaycasta newlighton fashion's aestheticvalues.Letusfirstcon-
siderwhatwe meanby fashionin relationto costume.
Historyhasshownthatpeopleof all nationsand fromtime immemorial havefelt
the needforadornment. Thisis understandable whenone considers thatmanis the
onlyterrestrialcreature bornwithouta protective covering, andwhohasfoundit neces-
saryto elaborate uponhisoriginalstate.Withthisdecisioncamethe excitement and
challenge of changing whatnaturehadimposeduponhim.
Manytheorieshavebeenexpounded regarding theoriginof costumeandwhyman
wearswhathe does.HilaireHiler,forinstance,in his CostumeandIdeologies,drawsa
distinctionbetweencostumeandclothing,andsaysthatcostumeprecededclothing.
Clothes,he theorizes, aremerelybodilycovering,whilecostumeincorporates adorn-
ment,includingtattooing,bodypainting,andso forth.Man"dressed up"beforehe
clothedhimsel£
Whilevarioustheoriesinviteinteresting argument,they are,however,oftencon-
flicting,andtherefore no singlefactorcanbe pinpointed as a basicexplanation, since
whatmayapplyto onecivilization maynot applyto another.What,forinstance,will
someof theclothesof thepresentcommunicate to futurecostumehistorians? Howwill
theyexplainthemods,beatniks, hippies,andflowerchildren? It capturestheimagina-
tionwhenoneconjectures howa computerized worldwillaffectmanandhisclothes.
Costumeis a complexof manyfactors.It hascomponents foundin worksof art:it
hasform,color,andtexture;it is symbolic,it servesan important functionin ritual
andsuperstition, andit alsocommunicates. Costumecanofferprotectionagainstthe
elements andphysicalenemies; it maybewornto wardoffevilor to attractgoodluck;
it canconformto standards of modestyandstillbea sourceof sexualattraction; it can
denoterank,wealth,andpower.Costumecanbe a maskto revealor concealcharac-
teristicsof the individual,or it canbe an expression of one'sego;it canbe considered
the heightof fashionandstill be a sourceof greatdiscomfort. But costumecanalso
affordpleasure, stimulation,anddiversion.
Fashionin its broadsenseis notonlya manner of dressing;it isalsoa socialexpression
of anage,a wayof lifethatreflectsman'sculturalheritageandcurrentideals.Fashion
in costumedocuments thetasteof its timein thesamemanner asdopainting, sculpture,
andotherworksof art. Fashionhasits rootsin the pastandbearsthe seedsof the
future;its only constantis change.It is a continualstreamof shiftingvaluesthat
shapethepresent.
Theartof fashionis so intrinsically woveninto the fabricof the storyof manthat
onecanhardlybe separated fromtheother.Todaycostumehasbecomeso powerful a

I 5I

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forcein oureconomic structurethatwhatoncemayhaveservedasa needforprotective
covering or as spiritualstimulus hasevolvedintoa vastbusiness enterprisethatcon-
cernspracticallyallpeopleof theworld.
Thedynamicspiritof fashion,growingout of thepastandreachingintothefuture,
hasbeena constantchallengeto the humanartisticimpulse.Ourexhibition,TheAfrt
of Fashion,willportraydramatically the highlevelof aestheticachievement attained
by costume,oftendismissed as superficialfrivolity.Approximately I83 costumeswill
be shown.Theyrangein datefromthe earlyeighteenthcenturythroughI967, with
themajorityfromthiscentury.
Theexhibition willbemorethana collection clothes.Theearlycostumes
of beautiful
affordnot onlya glimpseinto the past,but alsorevealthattherewereperiodswhen
therewasa strictetiquetteof dressing,a respectfor the occasionfor whichclothes
wereworn,asopposedto otherperiods,liketoday,whenproprietyof dresswasmore
relaxed.It willbecomeapparent howthe tempohaschangedin the twentiethcentury
fromthatof earlierperiods: a dressof thetimeof LouisXV maysuggesttheminuet,a
dressof the SecondEmpirethe waltz,a dressof the I920S the Charleston, a dress
of I967 the pulsatingboogaloo. The costumesshowhow,in fashion,thereis a point
of emphasisthatshiftsfromone areaof the body to anotherX changingthe external
aspectof thehumanform,andhowtheseshiftingaccentsrecur.It shouldbe evident
alsothat fashionis an inherentpartof art in environment, andthat thephenomena
of fashioncouldnotsurvivewithoutthe creativityof thosewhogiveit substance.
Costumeis a most provocativesubject.We wantthe exhibitionto be provoca-
tive too, as well as beautifuland enjoyable.The Metropolitan Museum,dedicated
to the recognition of achievement in the arts,hopesthe exhibitwill castnew light
on thelivingartof fashion.
P0 LAIRE W EI S SMA N

of TheCostumeInstitute
Dzrector
Executzue

is madeposszblethrougha grantfrom the NationalFoundationon the

Thisexhzbzzion
Artsandthe HumanitiesX and withmatchingfundsgenerously contributedby the Council
of Fashion Designersof Americv. The s967 Amerzcanfashions were chosen by a special
of peopleinvolvedin fashion andthe relatedarts. Theexhibitionhas
selectioncommzttee
beendesignedbyJamesR. Lamantia,and themannequins weremadeby MaryBrosnan.
Thecostumeswereco-ordinated bytheExecutzveDirectorof theMuseum'sCostumeInst:
tute,wzththevsszstanceof thestaff:

I52
THE MUSEUM
METROPOLITAN OF ART
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
ArthurA. Houghton,Jr.,Presidenz RobertLehman,VU-Presidenz WalterC. Baker,Virc-Prcsiden DevereuxC. Josephs, Vicc-Prcsident

Elective
Malcolm P. Aldrich J. Richardson Dilworth Mrs.CharlesS. Payson Francis Day Rogers
Henry C. Alexander Mrs. James W. Fosburgh RobertM. Pennoyer Irwin Untermyer
Mrs. Vincent Astor Roswell L. Gilpatric RichardS. Perkins Arthur K. Watson
Cleo Frank Craig James M. Hester FrancisT. P. Plimpton Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse
Daniel P. Davison Henry S. Morgan RolandL. Redmond Arnold Whitridge
C. Douglas Dillon Richard M. Paget Mrs.OgdenReid Charles B. Wrightsman

Ex Officio
John V. Lindsay, Mayorof thcCityof Ncw Yort AugustHeckscher,Commissioncrof zAcDcpartm of Parts
of thcCityof Ncw Yort
Mario A. Procaccino, Comptroller of zAcNationalAcademy
AlfredEastonPoor,Prcsidenz of Dcsign

Honorary
DwightD. Eisenhower NelsonA. Rockefeller

STAFF
ThomasP. F. Hoving,Director for Administration
JosephV. Noble, Vicc-Dircrtor
DudleyT. Easby,Jr.,Scorctary J. KennethLoughry,Trcasurcr Administrator
RichardR. Morsches,Operating

BarbaraVona, Administratirc Assistant James 0. Grimes, CizyLiaison Stuart Silver, Manager,ExhibitionDcsign

Arthur Klein, Supervisorof PlansandConstruction George M. Benda, Auditor Theodore Ward, ParchasingAg
John E. Buchanan, Archivist Ann Marie Bustillo, AdministrazircAssistanz William F. Pons, Manager,PhozographSzudio
Mildred S. McGill. AssistantforLoans Alfred B Cartier, Jr., Managerof Pcrsonncl Eloise Bruce, RcstaarantManager
Robert A. Pierson, AssistantTrcasurcr JessieL. Morrow, PlacemcnzManager Betsy Mason, Managerof Of icc Scrtoicc
Maurice K. Viertel, Controller Robert Chapman, Building Superinzendenz Assistanz
Carolyn L. Richardson,Adminiszrazitoc
Walter Cadette, Capzainof Anendanzs

AMERICAN PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE: John K. Howat, AssistanxCurazor FAR EASTERN ART: in Chargc.
Curator
Fong Chow, Assoriatc Jean K. Schmitt,
Curazor
Assiszant
AMERICAN WING: James Biddle, Curazor.Berry B. Tracy, AssociazcCurazor.
Mary C. Glaze, AssistantCurator GREEK AND ROMAN ART: Dietrich von Bothmer, Curator.Brian F. Cook,
Curazor
Andrew Oliver, Jr., Assistanx
AssociatcCurator.
ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ART: Vaughn E. Crawford,Curazor.Prudence Oliver
Harper, AssociazcCurazor.Oscar White Muscarella,AssistanxCurazor ISLAMIC ART: Curator
Marie G. Lukens, Assiszant
Ernst J. Grube, Curazor.
ARMS AND ARMOR: Randolph Bullock, Curazor.Helmut Nickel, Associazc MEDIEVAL ART AND THE CLOlSTERS: William H. Forsyth, Rcscar Curator
Curazor.Norma Wolf, AssistanzCurazor.Harvey Murton, Armorcr in Chargcof McdievalArt and Thc Cloistcrs.
Vera K. Ostoia and Carmen
CONTEMPORARY ARTS: Henry Geldzahler, Curazor Gomez-Moreno, Associazc Thomas Pelham Miller, Exccuzivc
Curazors. As-
Bonnie Young, ScniorLcaurcr,ThcCloistcrs
az ThcCloistcrs.
sistantin Chargc
THE COSTUME INSTITUTE: Polaire Weissman, ExecuzivcDircaor. Stella Blum,
Mavis Dalton, and Angelina M. Firelli, AssiszanzCurazors MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS: Emanuel Winternitz, Curator
DRAWINGS: Jacob Bean, Curazor.Merritt Safford, Conscrrazorof Drawings PRINTS:John J. McKendry, Associazc Curazorin Chargc.Janet S. Byrne,
and Prinzs Curator
Caroline Karpinski, Assistant
AssociatcCurator.
EGYPTIAN ART: Henry G. Fischer, Curator. Nora Scott and Eric Young,
WESTERN EUROPEAN ARTS: John Goldsmith Phillips, Chairman.
Carl Christian
AssociazcCurazors.Virginia Burton, AssiszanzCurazor Dauterman, AssociazcCurazor,Ccramics, Glass,andMctalwort. JamesParker,
EUROPEAN PAINTINGS: Theodore Rousseau, Chairman.Claus Virch, Marga- AssociatcCurator,Furniturcand Woodwork. Edith A. Standen and Jean
retta M. Salinger, and Elizabeth E. Gardner, Associae Curazors.Guy- Mailey, AssociatcCurators,Tcxtiles.Olga Raggio, Associazc Rcnais-
Curazor,
Philippe de Montebello, AssiszanzCuror. Hubert F. von Sonnenburg, sansc Art. Yvonne Hackenbroch, ScniorRcscarchFcllow. Jessie McNab
of Paintings.Gerhard Wedekind, AssociatcConscrrazor
Conscr:>azor Curazors
Dennis and Clare Vincent, Assistanx

AUDITORIUM EVENTS: William Kolodney, Consultant. Hilde Limondiian, MEMBERSlIIP: Dorothy Weinberger, Manager.Suzanne Gauthier, Assistant
Scnior Assistanx Manager

BOOK SHOP AND REPRODUCTIONS: Bradford D. Kelleher, Sales Manager.

Eleanor D. Falcon, Manager.James Delihas, Assistant
PUBLIC RELATIONS:
Margaret S. Kelly, GcncralSupervisor,Art and Boot Shop. Daniel S. Berger,
Katherine Warwick, PublicRclations
Manager. Joan Stack, Manager,
Writcr.
Assistan zo thc Sales Manager
Scrvicc
Informazion
CONSERVATION: Kate C. Lefferts, AssociazcConscrvazor in Chargc
DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION: Jean A. Ashfield, Manager PUBLICATIONS: Leon Wilson, AssociazcEdizorin Chargc.Jean Leonard,
EDUCATION: Harry S. Parker III, Chairman.Thomas M. Folds, Dcan. Louise AssociazcEdizor.Anne Preuss, Katharine H. B. Stoddert, Suzanne Boorsch,
Condit, AssistanzDcan in Chargcof zhe Junior Muscum. Angela B. Watson Edizors
and Joan K. Foley, Assistant
and Roberta Paine, Scnior Lcsturcrs.Merrill A. Lake, Assiszanzzo zAcDcan
LIBRARY: James Humphry III, Chief Librarian.Margaret P. Nolan. Chief, REGISTRAR AND CATALOGUE: William D. Wilkinson, Rcgistrar.Rebecca
Phozographand Slidc Library.Elizabeth R. Usher, Chief,Art RcicrcnscLibrary of zAcCataloguc.
Siekevitz, Supervisor Rcgistrar
Hugh G. O'Neill, Assistanx

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