New York, USA–This year, the Metropolitan Costume Institute’s gala was as glamorous as ever. It was themed Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, in accordance with the Museum’s current exhibition that highlights the multiple inspirations fashion designers have had over years by comic book characters and superheroes.

As for the exhibition’s details, it is open to the public from May 7th to September 1st and features no less than 60 film costume, haute couture, and high-performance sportswear outfits presenting them in  various categories and sections- interpretations of the body and the indicative feminine power.

Some of the sections that sound very, very alluring are:  ‘The Graphic Body’ (with Superman and Spiderman costumes and designer outfits by Galliano, Armani, and Gaultier), ‘The Verile Body’ (with Hulk backdrops and Alexander McQueen and Galliano’s creative interpetations), ‘The Paradoxical Body’ (with Catwoman costume and designer incarnations by Dolce and Gabbana, Thierry Mulger, and Versace), ‘The Armored Body’ (where Thierry Mulger, Pierre Cardin, and Balenciaga and their sophisticated use of metal probably feel at home).

In any case, it is an exhibition that pushes contemporary fashion design far beyond commercial aspects, embracing the cultural significances and semiotic meanings of trends. Most of all, it higlights the creative interaction between mass visual features and cultural phenomena (like comic books) with high class fashion. In other words, it is not to be missed.

Filed under: Prima Donna Digressions