Fashion Behind The Glass Where Mainstream And Museum MeetWhat:Part two of two on art events focusing on fashion, from felt to the fabulous life.

The Dirt
An art form, a supremely consumer industry, and a scene where sinners often trumps saint—welcome to the fashion world. In an industry where appearance comes first, it’s easy for the superficial to overpower the artistic. However, fashion is like any other art form, with the widespread appreciation a long time in the making and deviations form the norm often misunderstood. However, maternal multi-tasking models (read: Kate Moss and Heidi Klum) are just one example that fashion isn’t always what it seems. In spring 2009, a number of American museums will spotlight fashion industry icons and emerging trends. Here are a few picks.

Down south in Florida, the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History prepares for its 10th anniversary in March, when Palm Beach County will celebrate its 100th anniversary and Barbie will turn 50. As such, the museum will unveil its Barbie: The Golden Anniversary in March with a collection of borrowed dolls.

In New York, the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, ushers in spring with a March through September exhibit entitled Fashioning Felt, focusing on modern designs using felt, from fashion products and home accessories to product design and architectural pieces. The textile exhibit demonstrates the use of the material as a sustainable element, speaks to its wool source and showcases a number of inventive applications, such as an LED carpet made of felt. The program is explained in a 160-page color catalog.

Finally, down the street from Cooper-Hewitt at arguably the heart of New York City’s museum mile is the Museum of Metropolitan Art, whose Costume Institute will host a bold name-backed spring 2009 exhibit dubbed The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion. Running from May 6 through August 6, the exhibit is supported by glossy publisher Conde Nast, chaired by famed runway designer Marc Jacobs, with Kate Moss, Anna Wintour and Justin Timberlake serving as co-chairs. The exhibit, which opens two days after the 2009 Costume Institute gala benefit, features 70 haute couture and ready-to-wear pieces from fashion editorials and runway shows, to advertising shots and fashion and rock videos. Running from before models in the 19th century to the 21st century of it-girls and model moguls, the exhibit touches on industry innovators, including Twiggy, Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bundchen, Versace and Yohji Yamamoto, with images by popular photographers including Steven Meisel, Bruce Weber and Richard Avedon. The program will be featured in an accompanying book, The Model as Muse, to be published by the museum and distributed by Yale University Press.

Where:
For more information on the Barbie exhibit, visit the MLFH website. For more information on the Felt exhibit, visit the Cooper-Hewitt website. For more information on The Model as Muse exhibit, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art website.