• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
      Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
    • CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
      CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
    • WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
      WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity
      Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity
    • Turn it off: healing from news fatigue in the digital age
      Turn it off: healing from news fatigue in the digital age
    • Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflation
      Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflation
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Controversial
      The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Controversial
    • Lucy Dacus Brings a Minimal Yet Powerful Performance to Northeastern University
      Lucy Dacus Brings a Minimal Yet Powerful Performance to Northeastern University
    • “Glass Onion” Takes Shots at Easy Targets
      “Glass Onion” Takes Shots at Easy Targets
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • Student-Athlete of October
      Student-Athlete of October
    • Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
      Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
    • The Case for Body Neutrality
      The Case for Body Neutrality
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Rejected Snooze Articles for the Week
      Rejected Snooze Articles for the Week
    • Happy Valentine’s Day from Spog
      Happy Valentine’s Day from Spog
    • The Four Best Places to Loudly FaceTime Someone on Campus
      The Four Best Places to Loudly FaceTime Someone on Campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Tiffany Chen Arts, ReviewsSeptember 9, 2015

The Met’s “China Through the Looking Glass” exhibits dazzling Chinese fashion

This summer was hardly short of buzzing excitement regarding special exhibitions held at museums scattered throughout the East Coast. One in particular was the exhibit “China Through the Looking Glass,” featured at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

As stated on the museum’s website, “China Through the Looking Glass” examines “the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries.” The exhibit is essentially a women’s fashion show that explores the interchange between Western and Chinese cultures through clothing and was created to showcase the mix of cultures between Europe and China starting from the 16th century. The exhibit opened on May 6 and has been reported to be one of the most popular exhibits featured in The Met to date.

Upon entering the exhibit, I was greeted by four dresses of the Mao Zedong era. Though one was clearly reminiscent of the traditional army green dress girls would wear, the other three were of avant garde fashion. One in particular was of a binary fashion with Mao Zedong’s face vertically and linearly stamped on the surface. By introducing the exhibit with the common memory of China, it leaves the visitor with a lingering reminder of the exhibit’s overall theme.

Going up to the third floor, I was immediately dazzled by the grace and beauty of the dresses that welcomed me. The first dress that caught my eye was a yellow and white dress with an eye-catching bottom. The yellow, white, and red combined with the silkiness of the dress pooled on the ground elevated the dress in elegance. In addition, the headpiece was painted with a shimmering gold, which successfully complemented its crescent moon shape. The golden crescent moon accompanied by the shades of yellow, white, and pastel was Western, as the style of the dress and the golden accessories were looser on the ends.

The porcelain room was especially stunning. Nicknamed after its use of traditional Chinese porcelain colors, it contained several breathtaking outfits. One of the dresses mirrored the structure and design of a traditional Chinese porcelain item. The bottom half of the dress was shaped into half discs with blue lining and intricate designs of flowers and ocean waves within. The method by which the dress folds had been stitched up as well as the pooling of the dress was strongly reminiscent of a traditional porcelain saucepan. It is interesting to note that even though the colors and design of the outfit were of Chinese culture, the dress itself was Western. The play between the Chinese and Western influences on the dresses signified a blurring of cultural identity.

“China Through the Looking Glass” was a beautiful and inspiring exhibit that not only featured the work of designers from name brands such as Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino, but also of the art of a variety of media. Numerous movies played in the background, such as “Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon.” Movies that featured the stood hidden. Again, the emphasis of the two-way interaction between Western and Chinese art was prevalent as the bamboo trees were not of the common green, but were of a bright white and clear color. The light alongside the color casted a soft glow on the models, illuminating and emphasizing their dominating presence.

Overall, “China Through the Looking Glass” was an exhibit that was both visually stunning and educational in the sense of fashion design. As the exhibit ends on Sept. 7, the visitors will miss the beautiful and intricate apparel that has come to showcase the historic exchanges between Western and Chinese culture.

Photo by Tiffany Chen ’17

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articlePassion Pit’s ‘Kindred’ lacks innovative edge of previous albums
Next articleBanksy’s “Dismaland” offers satiric commentary on the Disney empire

You may also like

The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Controversial

image of lucy dacus playing the guitar in multicolored lights.

Lucy Dacus Brings a Minimal Yet Powerful Performance to Northeastern University

“Glass Onion” Takes Shots at Easy Targets

1 Comment

  • Pingback: Latest Chinese Style Dresses News

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Stone-Davis dining staff report mistreatment
  • Logos of social media apps such as Twitter, Tiktok, Netflix, Spotify, and Discord. Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity
  • The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Contro...
  • A collection of a wide variety of foods in the colors of the rainbow Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflat...
  • Red envelope that contains money to celebrate the Lunar New Year. America’s cultural appropriation is a modern form of i...

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top