China: Through the Looking Glass opens this week at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The exhibition examines the influence of Chinese art and aesthetics on Western fashion, and will feature incredible creations by Paul Poiret, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent – to name but a few. The accompanying catalogue – illustrated with new photographs by Platon – pushes the boundaries of book design, and features a gold-stamped silk cover, Chinese-fold pages and translucent printed vellum overlays. The book also contains an exclusive interview with John Galliano, the first since his very public fall from grace. Important essays that bring a feminist, sociological and cultural interpretation to the featured designs complete this visually stunning catalogue. Whether or not you are able to attend the landmark New York show, this catalogue is an absolute must-read for fashion lovers, scholars and collectors everywhere.
The Met celebrated the opening of China: Through the Looking Glass with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit, known as the Met Gala, which was attended by a vast array of a-listers from the worlds of fashion, music and showbiz.
The catalogue to the show is now available outside the venue from Yale – and we’ve selected some favourite spreads so that you too can step through the looking glass into an evocative fashion experience where East meets West.
China: Through the Looking Glass is now available to buy from Yale.
