Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion

Bolton, Andrew and various authors; photographs by Nick Knight with additional photographs by Anna-Marie Kellen
2024
494 pages
350 illustrations
9 x 12 in
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This vibrant publication brings to life four centuries of extraordinary garments and accessories inspired by the natural world. Offering new ways for understanding and experiencing a garment’s inherent artistry, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion explores clothing’s complex relationship with the body through the senses. Engaging texts by scholars, scientists, and conservators reveal the history behind over 200 works of fashion while also addressing their fragility and ephemerality. Exceptional new photography by Nick Knight of creations by international couturiers and design houses—including Cristòbal Balenciaga, Thom Browne, Collina Strada, Christian Dior, Gucci, Charles James, LOEWE, Madame Grès, Thebe Magugu, Maison Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, Paul Poiret, Yves Saint Laurent, Elsa Schiaparelli, Bea Szenfeld, Philip Treacy, Iris van Herpen, Louis Vuitton, and Charles Frederick Worth—further deepens our appreciation for each object’s sensorial integrity.

LOEWE
Jonathan Anderson
spring/summer 2023
Look 48, Gucci  Italian, (a) silk, (b) lurex, (c, d) silk, metal, (e) metal, resin, glass, (f) metal, resin, glass, (g) metal, resin, glass, Italian
Gucci
Alessandro Michele
fall/winter 2017–18
Ball gown, House of Worth  French, silk, glass, metallic thread, French
House of Worth
Charles Frederick Worth
ca. 1887
Robe à la française, silk, pigment, linen, British
British
1740s
Robe à l'anglaise, silk, French
French
ca. 1780
Dress, Mme. Martin Decalf  French, silk, French
Mme. Martin Decalf
1878–80
"Digitalis", Mary Katrantzou  British, born Greece, polyester, spandex, British
Mary Katrantzou
spring/summer 2018
Robe à la française, silk, French
French
1755–65
Evening dress, silk, French
French
1860–65
Evening ensemble, Delicata  French, (a, b) silk; (c, d) silk, leather; (e, f) wood, French
Delicata
ca. 1957
H&M
2017
LOEWE
Jonathan Anderson
autumn/winter 2023–24
Look 15, LOEWE  Spanish, Silk, Spanish
LOEWE
Jonathan Anderson
fall/winter 2023–24
Evening dress, House of Worth  French, silk, cotton, rhinestones, metal, French
House of Worth
Jean-Philippe Worth
1902
Dress, House of Dior  French, silk, cotton, leather (lambskin), nylon, spandex, plastic, French
House of Dior
Raf Simons
fall/winter 2013–14, edition 2020
"The Debutante", Conner Ives  American, silk, plastic, American
Conner Ives
fall/winter 2021–22
"Irises", Yves Saint Laurent  French, (a) silk, glass, plastic, metal, pearl, (b) silk, (c) silk, French
Multiple artists/makers
spring/summer 1988
Multiple artists/makers
spring/summer 2015
Waistcoat, Anna Maria Garthwaite  British, silk, wool, linen, metal, British
Anna Maria Garthwaite
Peter Lekeux
1747
Ensemble, Felix Chabluk Smith  British, silk, synthetic fiber, plastic, cotton, wool, metal, British
Felix Chabluk Smith
2013
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View Citations

Bolton, Andrew. Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2024.