A Daring New MoMa Exhibit Asks: “Is Fashion Modern?”

Fashion may be subjective, but we’re pretty sure MoMa’s tantalizing new exhibit Items: Is Fashion Modern? (which opens October 1) will be turning heads. It consists of 111 pieces that dissect the evolution of fashion: when certain styles rose while others plummeted and still others seemed to return from the dead. What is most interesting about this exhibit is its examination of fashion’s interplay with forces such as politics, the economy and social change. Among the hundred-plus items: such tokens as “Bikini”, “Chanel No. 5” and “Little Black Dress” — with several broken down into subcategories, which bring the actual tally of items on display up to 350. Thus the exhibition will take up the museum’s entire sixth floor — along the way addressing central themes such as silhouette, weight and gender. It even looks to the future — asking engineers, designers and others to offer perspectives on what comes next. moma.org