Connections Between Fashion and Art From a 1945 Issue of Vogue

“Museum-Inspired Evening Wear” originally published in the June 1945 issue, photographed by John Rawlings Fashion.

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EGYPTIAN IDEA: The recurring silhouette of the ancient frieze… the narrow covering, shaped into a limp hem by a scant amount of drapery. New version, desert beige evening gown from the Met. Ben Reig was designed by Omar Kiam in Onondaga rayon crepe Macle, which fit the specifications of this particular dress. Chen Yu “Frozen Fire” lipstick and nail polish in rich coral red to beige.Photo by John Rollins, Fashion, [June1945[1945年6月

Editor’s note: We first revisited this story during the pandemic, when visiting the museum felt as distant as the 1945 year it was published. Since its premise is to bring art and fashion together, it seems relevant to the Met’s upcoming “Art of Costume” exhibition.

The five evening gowns on these pages are part of what happens when the great Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York invites a team of fabric and costume designers to work together to draw inspiration from its vast collection. About twenty of the most distinguished American fashion and fabric designers collaborated in this way; the results were presented to the public in a fashion show organized by Lee Simonson, and some of the clothes are now sold in New York stores. Not shown here: Printmaker Brooke Cadwallader’s teardrop design was taken from a twelfth-century Mesopotamian vase; Nettie Rosenstein adapted the print for a noble evening gown. André Flory designed a sun-yellow Catoir jacquard taffeta patterned after a bronze Caucasian belt buckle; Norman Norrell used it to create a stately corset. American designers are increasingly using museums as important sources of fashion. It’s great news when museums offer them unlimited collaboration. . . And full of hope for the future of fashion as an art.

The Greek theory: the theory of rational, beautiful lines, is reiterated in this contemporary robe: mint evening gown… blouse with sequined laurel stick, skirt with triangle hem (can be flattened). Tina Leser is designed in specially crafted Foreman rayon crepe based on pieces from the Met’s collection of Greek art. Made of Plexiglas, the new Greek sandal is available in one model only – and will be available in the future.Photo by John Rollins, Fashion, [June1945[1945年6月