Women Dressing Women

Celebrating the creativity and artistic legacy of female fashion designers from the eighteenth century to the present day

This elegantly designed volume, featuring all-new photography of more than 70 garments, celebrates the impact of fashions created by and for women—from unidentified dressmakers in eighteenth-century France to contemporary designers who are leading the direction of fashion today.

Women Dressing Women includes ensembles from French houses such as Vionnet, Schiaparelli, and Mad Carpentier; American makers like Ann Lowe, Claire McCardell, and Isabel Toledo; and contemporary designers including Rei Kawakubo, Iris van Herpen, Simone Rocha, and Anifa Mvuemba. The accompanying essays address notions of anonymity, visibility, agency, and omission, exploring how these concepts have impacted female designers and situating their creations in a larger social context, while an illustrated timeline visually traces connections between these celebrated women and their aesthetic sensibilities.

A long overdue look at women-led design, this volume is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of fashion and this major, under-recognized aspect of the narrative.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press

Exhibition Schedule:

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(December 7, 2023–March 3, 2024)