Linsen Chai

In America: An Anthology of Fashion was set in the American Wing as the second installment of the Costume Institute exhibition of 2022. Intertwined between the period rooms, where movie directors and Lamb Design set up creative vignettes, emerged the distinct character of American Fashion. Five "Case Studies" or in-depth examination of key garments led the visitor through their journey through the exhibition.

These meant to reframe the discourse surrounding pivotal moments of American fashion. One such example was located in the first gallery where George Washington's Inauguration Coat was juxtaposed with Abraham Lincoln's infamous Ford Theater coat as well as a Brooks Brother's livery coat worn by an enslaved man. Other moments included as well the reexamination of the emergence of American ready-to-wear.

The Case Studies, along with the signage and didactics in the exhibition, were conceived by the Met team as to retain a forensic language expressing this reframing. They presented themselves as showcases, almost scientific vitrines, with integrated monitors so to delve within the minutiae of each garment.