#34 Death Becomes Her

Thread Cult

A new exhibit at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art explores how high fashion influenced bereavement rituals during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. In this episode, Jessica Regan, co-curator of the exhibit Death Becomes Her, discusses how the silhouettes of women’s clothing changed during this time period and how elaborate mourning rituals created a booming business for dress makers, as well as a costly investment for women who needed to wear black for an entire year. Jessica also shares some of her fashion and textile must-sees at the Met.

Outro: Fauré’s Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48: Introit, The Choire of King’s College Cambridge, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment & Stephen Cleobury