Our New Clothes: Acquisitions of the 1990s

This exhibition with the quizzical title “Our New Clothes” is a happy celebration of the growth of The Costume Institute’s collection during the past ten years. We are indebted to the many generous donors who have fostered that growth (their names are listed on the west wall next to Gallery III).

As you look around, you will recognize that this selection from a decade’s acquisitions could constitute a major collection on its own. We are very fortunate, indeed, to watch the commanding institution of costume history grow demonstrably stronger and richer. Is this simply that human.urge to peruse the closet, find “nothing to wear,” and go shopping? No good collection can be static, least of all the “best.” “Our New Clothes” testifies to the rewards of committed collection development achieved concomitantly with research, provocative exhibitions, and explicit interpretation. Moreover, we are proud to have established during the 1990s the finest fashion video collection in the world, including CNN’s generous donation of the “Style with Elsa Klensch” archives.

Are we boastful in showing off our new clothes? You bet we are! Proudly. Gratefully

Images courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art