The Met Costume Institute

Making the Most of a Costume Institute Visit

The Costume Institute sits within The Metropolitan Museum of Art, so a visit there is really a visit to the Met as a whole. Its collection spans several centuries and multiple continents, covering garments, accessories and textiles from historic court dress to twentieth-century couture and contemporary design. The department's galleries, named the Anna Wintour Costume Center, host rotating exhibitions rather than a permanent display. Because delicate fabrics cannot stay on view for long, what you see depends on when you go.

Planning ahead

• Check the official Met website for current exhibitions, opening hours and admission details before you travel, as these change through the year.
• Expect crowds during major spring shows. The Costume Institute's large annual exhibition, launched each year alongside the Met Gala, tends to draw heavy attendance. Weekday mornings are usually calmer.
• Give yourself time. Fashion exhibitions are dense with detail, from construction techniques to wall texts on historical context, and rushing them means missing much of the story.
• Getting there: the museum is on Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side, a short walk from Central Park. Subway lines along Lexington Avenue are a common way to reach it.

What to look for as a bandage dress fan

Body-conscious dressing has a long history, and the Met's exhibitions often trace how designers have shaped the silhouette, first with corsetry and boning and later with stretch fabrics and knit construction. Pay attention to how garments are engineered: seam placement, the direction of panels and the way tension is distributed around the body. These are the same ideas behind the banded, sculpted look of a modern bandage dress, where horizontal strips of knit do much of the structural work.

If an exhibition sparks ideas, our lookbook shows how sculpted evening knits can be styled today. Because fit matters so much with body-contouring pieces, the size guide explains how to measure before choosing a style. For more places to pair with a fashion-focused day in the city, browse our other nearby places.