The ongoing Gilded Age Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art saw Oscar-winning directors bring fashion to life.
The theme of the American Wing at the current show revolves around American fashion in the 19th and 20th centuries. To bring these scenes to life, nine renowned directors took the mantle upon themselves. These include Radha Blank, Janicza Bravo, Sofia Coppola, Julie Dash, Tom Ford, Regina King, Martin Scorsese, Chloé Zhao, and Autumn de Wilde.
Sofia Coppola created a diorama with highly-detailed mannequins placed on dark, dim wooden interiors. Coppola, who is also the daughter of director Francis-Ford Coppola, is known for Lost In Translation (2003) and The Bling Ring (2013). Chloé Zhao also dealt with mannequins in a more lively and animated way. She decided to stage deep religious reverence, as a woman was seated on a chair towards the window from which light broke through. Chloé Zhao is renowned for Oscar-winning Nomadland (2020) and the recent Eternals (2021).
Radha Blank was the director who broke through most recently, with The 40-Year Old Version (2020) which was awarded at the Sundance Festival. Blank created a highly-stylized room with clothes designed by Maria Hollander. Hollander was a fashion designer in the 19th century who also worked for abolition and women’s rights. Blank states she is paying homage to the artist.
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Since 2020, the Met Gala – an iconic event organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art – was being held in two phases. The first phase, which last occurred in September 2021, focused on general American fashion and saw the most limelight. The other phase, which is going on right now, focused on period American fashion.