Dressmaking & Tailoring

Introduction

Clothing Construction

Geometries

Press

Embellishment

Engineering

Credits
Multimedia

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.

geometries
engineering
embellishment
clothing construction
dressmaking