On June 17, a gorgeous, sunny day in New York City,  bSmart CEO Meagan Hooper and the New York City interns enjoyed a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to visit the Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology exhibit.the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As if the iconic building wasn’t inspiring itself,once inside everyone was transported to a realm of fashion they’d never seen before.  All became completely transfixed on the beauty and storytelling of fashion through the eras.   

The exhibit is located past the Greek and Medieval Art on the main level, so we seemed to travel back in time as we made our way to the exhibition.  We then walked through a tall arched entranceway, beneath which the exhibit seemed to resemble a church, presenting quite literally a shrine for fashion lovers.  The displays were fittingly accompanied by operatic music; the angelic hymns of an invisible choir seemed to fill the room.   At the center of it all was the main masterpiece,  a stunning white gown with a gold embroidered train of a good two yards! 

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Above, the domed ceiling was a slowly moving kaleidoscope, which reflects the detailed patterning on the lengthy dress train.  The display, which is mainly centered on the subject of fashion in technology, truly embodies the exhibition’s name by incorporating the two - Manus meaning hand and Machina means machine. According to the MET website, the exhibit ‘explores this ongoing dichotomy, in which hand and machine are presented as discordant tools in the creative process, and questions the relationship and distinction between haute couture and ready-to-wear.’ That is precisely the feeling you get out of walking around the exhibit.

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We  interns were extremely excited as we walked through, complementing the designers and commenting on dresses we wished were our prom dresses. Dresses we wished we owned, and dresses we wanted for our future weddings. I most certainly found my my future wedding dress:  

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Cashman Aiu, another one of our social media interns, pointed out a dress that she wished she possessed in her closet, or better yet should have been her prom dress! (Dress to the left)

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The Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology exhibit is undoubtedly the belle of the Met ball.

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The exhibition took us down another level, where more advancements in the fashion designing and creating process developed i; with dresses stringed with gears and mechanics that morphed into another dress. Designers have really expanded the meaning of fashion, while also defining the process of making clothing as far as incorporating mechanics into fashion (hence the title of the exhibit).  There was also a little area about the art of draping and creating shapes to form dresses. Designers like Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld of ‘House of Chanel’, Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Hussein Chalayan, Iris van Herpen, and many other designers from that era were on display.

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As we continued  to walk around the exhibit, everyone remained in awe, keeping their mouths open  and ready to  point out the incredible detailing of each piece.  Each dress, whether it be a two piece or a suit, stood out on its own, encompassing each designer during his or her stage of redefining fashion.  The Magnus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology exhibit is undoubtedly the bell of the Met ball.  Be sure to visit and mark it as a must-see on  your museum tour. I did have to leave early to make a train, but Meagan brought the interns Jacqui and Cashman to the roof top bar of the Metropolitan Museum to finish their time at the Met looking over the stunning city that is New York. 

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22 year old New York City native is currently attending Smith College to earn her bachelor's in English and Art History. Growing up in a household where creativity was applauded, Nina uses different modes of expression and description in her work. As bSmart’s Art Director and Editorial Intern she hopes to break new walls with the website.

 

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