When Western Fashion Meets China Fantasy

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute’s 2015 exhibition is about Chinese culture on Western fashion. China: Through the Looking Glass, is on the show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art through September 7, extended from August 16. Unlike former annual exhibition, the exhibition starts from the basement-level Anna Winture Costume Center to the Chinese galleries on the second floor directly connecting through the elevator.

The exhibition is about the influence of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how The Chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, and other arts affected Western fashion designers. Fashion designers from Paul Poiret, Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel to recent designers Dries Van Noten had revealed the imagery of Chinese arts on their collections.

Metropolitan Musuem exhibition extends till Labor day, Sept 7.

40 designers including Western/European fashion designers along with Chinese designers participated on the exhibition. Cristobal Balenciaga, Travis Banton, Bulgari, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Callot Soeurs, Cartier, Roberto Cavalli, Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano for Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino Garavani, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Picciolo for Valentino, Craig Green, Guo Pei, Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin, Ralph Lauren, Christian Louboutin, Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Alexander McQueen for Givenchy, Edward Molyneux, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Dries van Noten, Jean Patou, Paul Poiret, Yves Saint Laurent, Paul Smith, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vivienne Tam, Giambattista Valli, Vivienne Westwood, Jason Wu, and Laurence Xu.

One of the exhibition rooms displays all of Yves Saint Laurent’s 1977-78 memorable Chinese collection. John Galliano’s seven collections for Dior and Chinese couturier Guo Pei’s gold gown inspirited from lotus petals of Buddhism and much more to check out!