Each of these clever little books from the Metropolitan Museum of Art―on the perennially popular subjects of fashion and New York City―pairs more than 180 selected works from across the museum’s vast collection with simple, concise observations. New York Is… offers answers to the question: What is New York in the eyes of artists? The Flatiron Building is shape; the Empire State Building is line. Washington Square Park is joyous; Times Square is spectacle. Among the enduring illustrations are paintings by Edward Hopper, Stuart Davis, Winslow Homer, Jacob Lawrence, and Charles Demuth; photographs by Walker Evans, Berenice Abbott, Alfred Stieglitz, Garry Winogrand, and Cindy Sherman; and drawings, lithographs, and posters, all celebrating this endlessly fascinating metropolis. Fashion Is… encourages readers to think about the myriad definitions of fashion. A Dior day suit. An Yves Saint Laurent minidress. A Japanese kimono. A Ferragamo shoe. A French court ensemble. A Schiaparelli hat. Fashion is glamour and attitude, texture and pattern, sexy and prim, luxurious and eccentric. It is above all a rich and evocative means of expression for both the designer and the wearer. Gathered here are costumes, regional dress, haute couture, and accessories from the fifteenth century to the present, as well as paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts relating to modes of dress.
