Dorian Leigh (fourth from left) and unidentified models in Charles James

The exhibition is made possible by Marc Jacobs.

Additional support is provided by Condé Nast.

Exhibition objects

  • Wedding dress
    Wedding dress

    Charles James (American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978)

    Date: 1948–49
    Accession Number: 1993.427

  • Creation
    Creation

    House of Dior (French, founded 1947)

    Date: fall/winter 2005–6
    Accession Number: 2006.22a–e

  • Dress
    Dress

    House of Balenciaga (French, founded 1937)

    Date: 1955–56
    Accession Number: C.I.64.4.3

  • Evening dress
    Evening dress

    Attributed to Madame Grès (Alix Barton) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)

    Date: fall/winter 1954–55
    Accession Number: C.I.56.60.6a, b

  • Dress
    Dress

    Yves Saint Laurent, Paris (French, founded 1961)

    Date: fall/winter 1965–66
    Accession Number: C.I.69.23

  • Evening ensemble
    Evening ensemble

    Yves Saint Laurent, Paris (French, founded 1961)

    Date: fall/winter 1976–77
    Accession Number: 1979.329.6a–d

Featured Media

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Special Exhibition: The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion

Program information

Isaac Mizrahi, fashion designer, talks with Harold Koda, Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute, and Kohle Yohannan, guest co-curator, about the 1995 documentary Unzipped. In the following excerpts from the conversation, Mizrahi talks about rallying his talent, his team, and his friends—the supermodels—early in his career. A video of the entire conversation is available on the Met's YouTube channel.

The Model as Muse

Embodying Fashion

May 6–August 9, 2009

Accompanied by a catalogue

Exploring the reciprocal relationship between high fashion and evolving ideals of beauty, The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion focuses on iconic models of the twentieth century and their roles in projecting, and sometimes inspiring, the fashion of their respective eras. The exhibition, organized by historical period from 1947 to 1997, features haute couture and ready-to-wear masterworks accompanied by fashion photography and video footage of models who epitomized their epochs.

See behind-the-scenes photos and gallery views on Flickr.


Left: Cecil Beaton (British, 1904–1980). Dorian Leigh (fourth from left) and unidentified models in Charles James, Vogue, June 1948. Courtesy of the Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby's. © Condé Nast Publications Inc.