Women Dressing Women: A Lineage of Female Fashion Design

This survey of women-led fashion design centered around the twentieth and twenty-first centuries emphasizes the creative agency and artistic legacy of female creators Exploring the enduring impact of fashions created by and for women, this book traces a historical and conceptual lineage across more than 70 female designers-- from unidentified dressmakers in eighteenth-century France, to contemporary makers who are leading the direction of fashion today--all culled from the incredible permanent collection of The Costume Institute. Insightful essays that consider notions of anonymity, visibility, agency, and absence/omission reveal women's impact within the field of fashion, highlighting celebrated designers and forgotten histories alike. The publication includes fashion houses such as Mad Carpentier, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Madeleine Vionnet, American makers like Ann Lowe, Claire McCardell, and Isabel Toledo, along with contemporary designers such as Rei Kawakubo, Anifa Mvuemba, Simone