Classical Ideal

edited by Sheila Kim -- Interior Design, 4/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

A year ago, the Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art investigated fashion's evanescent side in "Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed." With "Goddess," the Costume Institute now takes a timeless route, showing 200 classical garments, photographs, and decorative objects from the 18th century to the present. "Classical dress is the Holy Grail of style," says curator Harold Koda. "It endures as the standard of beauty while transforming to accommodate contemporary taste." To illustrate his point, Koda refers to an Yves Saint Laurent dress that Tom Ford constructed from strips of brown chiffon. Madeleine Vionnet's silk-crepe dress takes cues from a traditional peplos gown. Then there's the gold-thread and wool-lamé John Galliano number that looks like a bias-cut, classicized 1930s dress. Sound familiar? Perhaps you recall Nicole Kidman's gown from the 2000 Academy Awards. May 1–August 3; 212-535-7710; metmuseum.org.