Met Gala competition:

About Time: Fashion and duration

2020

Ash Carney

MET Gala Competition Finalist

“ A reimagining of fashion history that's fragmented, discontinuous, and heterogenous” 


I found inspiration in the Guilded Age, also known as the “Beautiful Age” of fashion history. Specifically looking at the role of women in the era and incorporating my passion for dance. I was greatly inspired by cancan dancers of the nineteenth century. The main features of the dance are the vigorous manipulation of skirts and petticoats, along with high kicks, splits, and cartwheels. I wanted to incorporate the beautiful underside of their petticoats with cascading and exaggerated ruffles, as well as using a crinoline skirt to mimic the pulsating and effervescent movement of the dancers. I also wanted to challenge societal stereotypes of the time, by use of common undergarments of the period and adapting them into a luxury outerwear statement.

*physical copy with fabric swatches currently under observation at the met fifth avenue