Wow. The “Heavenly Bodies” exhibit is so gorgeous and majestic. It showcases 20th- and 21st-century fashion that was inspired by the Catholic tradition. I’m not Catholic, but there was just something so sacred about what I saw it kind of felt like a religious experience.

The Met Cloisters was originally conceived to recreate a slice of Medieval Europe in New York. Five French cloistered abbeys were taken apart meticulously, marked for reassembly, and then shipped brick by brick to be reassembled in Fort Tyron Park. The “Heavenly Bodies” exhibit fits so well in this setting, with each piece both blending into and interacting with the architecture.

From the Met website:
The two pieces in this photo were designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli and formed part of Valentino’s autumn/winter 2015–16 haute couture collection as an homage to Rome, where the house was founded. The arches of the Colosseum served as the reference for the ensemble composed of a dress and cape. They appear as black silk velvet pieced into double-faced cashmere, creating a tour de force of the techniques of haute couture. In its arched splendor, the cape establishes a formal connection with the rounded arches of the Saint-Guilhem Cloister.

The other ensemble was inspired by the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, an oil painting on wood depicting the Madonna in a black cape adorned with stars. It establishes a more conceptual relationship with the space through its color: the Benedictine monks who originally occupied the monastery and who became known as the “Black Monks” because of their black habits.