Dress Up exhibit: Museum of the Month - MFA
Dress Up exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that 2024 is my museum year! One of my New Year’s resolutions for this year is to visit one new museum every month.
So far, I’ve explored some incredible places:
Inhotin in Brumadinho - Brazil
FIT Museum - New York ( exhibit: Statement sleeves)
Met - New York (exhibit: Women Dressing Women)
Whaling Museum - New Bedford MA
MFA - Boston MA (exhibit: Dress Up)
Dress Up exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA
Now, let’s talk about my recent visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA, specifically the Dress Up exhibit.
“Playing dress up begins at five and never truly ends.” - Kate Spade
“Fashion allows us to take on different roles, choosing clothes, jewelry, shoes, handbags, and other accessories to transform the way we are seen and the way we see ourselves. One’s choice of dress can make a political statement, express a mood or communicate personal identities. Through more than 100 works from the MFA’s collection, “Dress Up” celebrates 20th- and 21st-century style with fashions by Alexander McQueen, Bob Mackie, Pauline Trigère, Patrick Kelly, and Oscar de la Renta; jewelry from designers like Hattie Carnegie, Lanvin, Elsa Peretti, Schreiner, and Trifari; accessories by designers like Thom Solo; illustrations; and photographs by Cecil Beaton and Martin Parr.
This exhibition removes the delineation between fashion and jewelry to focus on how they play an integral and inseparable role in self-fashioning. Objects with beads, sequins, and sparkles blur the lines between fashion and jewelry, extending and expanding our ideas about them. From a jeweled brooch or shoe to an heirloom ring or little black dress, each selection represents a variety of stories and lived experiences.
Thematic sections explore child’s play, identity politics, and more, and feature myriad new acquisitions—including shoes and dresses from the collection of Donna Summer, an ensemble by Project Runway alumna Korina Emmerich and local jewelry artist Tiffany Vanderhoop, and a ring by Of Rare Origin, a version of which was worn by poet Amanda Gorman at the 2020 US presidential inauguration. Spectacular loans include an Iris Apfel ensemble from the Peabody Essex Museum and cuff bracelets designed by Fulco di Verdura for Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, which she was photographed wearing throughout her life.”
Dress Up exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA
Sometimes we forget that every day, we make choices about what to wear. Your clothing speaks volumes about who you are and how you want to be seen by the world. So why not be intentional?
For me, visiting Dress Up was a wake-up call! We can easily fall into the trap of wearing average outfits when we have the power to do more. As a stylist in New England, I understand the temptation to stick to casual attire like sports clothes and yoga pants. But let’s not forget that not everyone in New England is all about casual dressing! If dressing up makes you happy, don’t waste an opportunity to look your best and shine.
Life is too short to look average. Shine your light, and dress up!
If you have any museum suggestions, feel free to share them in the comments!
