Women Dressing Women: Two Opportunities to Celebrate Women in Fashion Along the East Coast

On a recent trip to New York, we were lucky enough to catch a new exhibit honoring women in fashion and their contribution to the Costume Institute at The Met Fifth Avenue. It’s a powerful examination of women-led fashion houses over the 20th and 21st centuries, presented through the exploration of four key themes: anonymity, visibility, agency, and absence/omission. 80 objects all from the museum’s permanent collection document the work of more than 70 makers including Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons, Adèle Henriette Nigrin Fortuny, Gabriela Hearst, Claire McCardell, Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph for No Sesso, Miuccia Prada, Madeleine Vionnet, and Vivienne Westwood, among others. A particular favorite of ours is Ann Lowe from Clayton, Alabama, who designed Jacqueline Bouvier’s gown when she married John F Kennedy in 1953. Women Dressing Women is on view now through March 10, 2024.

In continuation of the celebration down the coast, we’re also looking forward to the Atlanta Ballet’s new show Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon running February 9-17. The performance is sure to be a moving tribute to the woman who launched a global fashion empire and whose design point of view persists today as inspiration to millions.

Ann Lowe

Chanel

Claire McCardell

Fortuny

Maria Grazia Chiuru

Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen