American Beauty explores innovative clothing construction in the United States. The
goal of the exhibition is to demonstrate that the work of American fashion designers has
been ground breaking — not limited, as is sometimes assumed, to the production of casual
and functional clothing such as denim jeans and sportswear. The exhibition covers the period
from the 1930s to the present, and it focuses on the relationship between the technical
aspects of modern dressmaking in the United States and aesthetics, or the "philosophy of
beauty." The interdependence of technique and beauty is evident in the work of a group of
American fashion designers — selected especially for this exhibition — who have created a
broad spectrum of clothing types, from highly innovative yet affordable ready-to-wear to
luxurious and exacting couture.
