Friends of The Costume Institute
Inaugurated in the fall of 2002, Friends of The Costume Institute is an invited group of patrons who provide critical support to the Museum and the Costume Institute, enabling the Department to acquire objects for their world-renowned collection. The group engages Friends with insider access to exhibitions and intimate gatherings with industry leaders to build awareness of The Costume Institute's contribution to the understanding of fashion as an art form.
Annual Dues: $12,000 (a portion of dues is tax-deductible)
Under-Forty Annual Dues: $6,000 (a portion of dues is tax-deductible)
Friends of The Costume Institute also receive the benefits of a Patron Circle Membership at The Met, including:
- free, express admission to all of The Met's locations with up to four accompanied guests;
- special access to the collection and new exhibitions during Morning Hours, Preview Days, Evening Receptions, and The Met After Hours;
- invitations to Members-only events, concerts, and curator talks;
- access to the Members-only spaces in the Museum;
- 10% discount on all public restaurants and venues at The Met, The Met Cloisters, and The Met Store;
- subscriptions to the What's On calendar and The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin; and
- reciprocal benefits at sixteen museums nationwide.
Membership is offered by invitation only.
For more information, please contact Laura Scognamiglio at 212-570-3822 or Laura.Scognamiglio@metmuseum.org.
Highlights of Past Events
- Private curator-led tour of the exhibitions Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, About Time: Fashion and Duration, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, and In America: An Anthology of Fashion
- Behind-the-scenes tour of The Costume Institute's world-renowned collection and Conservation Lab
- Evening receptions with special guest designers, including Tory Burch, Christopher John Rogers, and Pierpaolo Piccioli
- Designer studio visits including Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, and Oscar de la Renta
Above: Alexander McQueen (British, 1969–2010) for House of Givenchy (French, founded 1952). Ensemble (detail), fall/winter 1997–98. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Friends of the Costume Institute Gifts, 2013 (2013.564a, b)