![]() ![]() But it stays fairly low, creating an air of familiarity that is then enriched by the labels and catalog, which pinpoint origins, regional variations and technological advances. ![]() With a Chanel gown here two saris there espadrilles and two beautiful Chinese cheongsam dresses elsewhere, “Items” mediates between high and low, East and West, couture and common. It is, to its credit, an exercise in consciousness-raising that plots the flow of stylistic conventions from subcultures and colonial countries into the Western mainstream and highlights dress as self-expression and political protest - most directly, with a projection of graphic T-shirts. ![]() It’s even a bit on the austere side, harkening back to the Modern’s displays in the 1930s and ’40s of the latest kitchenware and furniture - shows that argued for modern design as an affordable way to improve modern life. Including “items” like bluejeans, flip flops, tattoos and a burkini, it largely evades the air of expense, exclusivity and hauteur typical of these ventures. Around 30 prototypes, including 20 newly commissioned by the museum, add sparks of ingenuity - and of course there is a gift shop fuller than usual of sartorial temptations.īut all in all, “Items” has few of the showstopping moments of extreme craftsmanship, innovation or material lavishness that are a staple of the Met’s productions. Brilliant use is made of video and slide shows. It’s big, occupying all of the sixth floor’s galleries for temporary exhibitions, which hasn’t happened since the de Kooning extravaganza of 2011. ![]()
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