1 month left for NOMA fashion exhibition
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"Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour" features a gown, right, by Madame Olympe from 1866-1867, and Big Freedia's Miss Universe 2023 ensemble, left, designed by Tyron "Marquette" Perrin. Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Museum of Art
A New Orleans Museum of Art exhibition makes clear from the first display that the city is deeply intertwined with American fashion history.
- The display showcases one of the earliest examples of American dressmaking, a silk garment by New Orleanian Madame Olympe, surely sewn for a wealthy woman at the height of the city's cotton industry, powered by enslaved labor.
Why it matters: The exhibition, "Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour," smartly stitches together the story of America's complicated history, told through what we wear and how we wear it.
Driving the news: "Fashioning America" is only in New Orleans for about another month before it closes Nov. 26.
- The exhibition also lends a theme to NOMA's annual Fall Gala, scheduled for Nov. 10. Tickets for the fundraiser are on sale now.
Zoom in: The exhibition was organized by Bentonville, Arkansas' Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, with guest curator Michelle Tolini Finamore.
- New Orleans is the only other museum to host the exhibition, which features work by more than 100 designers.
Between the lines: The exhibition highlights the work of racially and ethnically diverse designers and carefully crafts the story of how America's Indigenous people and other marginalized groups have influenced — but not always been credited for — the nation's fashion.
- Gowns from the Ebony Fashion Fair, which thrust Black culture into the mainstream, as well as examples of Rihanna's Savage X Fenty lingerie line and Isabel Toledo's prototype for the suit first lady Michelle Obama wore at the 2009 inauguration are included.
What she's saying: "American fashion reflects the complexity of America writ large, weaving together stories of innovation, immigration, independence, self-invention, and creativity," Finamore says.
- "The sweeping story of American fashion encompasses designers from all walks of life—from the rural to the urban, from the regional to the global—who embody history past and present and represent issues related to inclusion and exclusion."
Worth noting: Expect to pay an additional $10 entrance fee for the exhibition on top of standard museum admission.
- On Wednesdays, NOMA offers free admission to Louisiana residents, but the exhibition's $10 fee still applies. Members access it free.
- An exhibition discount is available for Bayou Classic fans on Thanksgiving weekend.
- The museum is hosting two fashion illustration workshops with Rhonda Corley, on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1.