Made It: The Women Who Revolutionized Fashion

pastel-colored beach scene with a pink sun umbrella, these swimwear pieces stood opposite a collection of various works by Chanel, Hanae Mori, and Alice Edeling, among others. These pieces, displayed on a set of risers in front of a mod-inspired backdrop, represented design that acknowledged and promoted women’s increasingly active lifestyles and independence in the 1960s (FIGURE 3). The final gallery section, entitled “Designing for Change,” introduced fashion as a medium for social commentary and political change. Pieces by Frankie Welch, Vivienne Westwood, and Ann Demeulemeester appeared alongside works by Vivienne Tam (FIGURE 4), Natalie Chanin, and Jamie Okuma to illustrate how women designers have met diverse challenges head on with insightful and creative solutions, giving voice to concepts of diversity, acceptance, social responsibility, and collaboration. The open displays lent an expansive feeling to the gallery, while judicial use of spot color and additional visuals allowed the focus to remain on the garments. Although mention is made of women designing pants, only a few pants or trousers appeared within the pieces. Most information panels were text-heavy, and I did not have enough time to read each one, with only one hour in the gallery. I seemed more drawn to the large wall texts, but I purchased the exhibition catalogue, which includes essays on most of the individual designers. The mannequins were abstract or headless, in varying colors,or headless, in varying colors, from matte white to dark brown and almost black. Garments were displayed simply with no accessories such as hats, jewelry, or shoes. This may be due to FIGURE 3 Gallery view “Making Choices,” exhibition, Made It: The Women Who Revolutionized Fashion, 2020. Peabody Essex Museum. 110 DRESS VOLUME 47, NUMBER 1, 2021