WUDPAC Class of 2014 alumna Elizabeth Schaeffer is among those featured in a behind-the-scenes article from British Vogue. From the November 18, 2019 article by Kira Garcia:
The Met Gala is the most glamorous event in the fashion calendar. But
all year round at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in
New York, a team of experts works diligently to conserve its collection
of 33,000 fashion items, some of which date back to the 15th century. . . . Tucked
below street level is a well-lit, climate-controlled, state-of-the-art
conservation laboratory. Inside, a highly skilled team of specialists
diligently toil to preserve some of the world’s most fascinating works
of art, which just so happen to be clothing.
Sarah Scaturro, head conservator at the Costume Institute, is energetic
and friendly. She towers in her red suede Salvatore Ferragamo platform
sandals, and is the first to relieve laboratory visitors of their
ballpoint pens in favour of less-threatening pencils. It’s a relief,
actually; who wants to be guilty of disfiguring an Edwardian wedding
gown or a Renaissance tunic? . . . Alongside her co-workers, Scaturro cares for a collection of 33,000
objects dating from the 15th century to the present day. The team
assesses, repairs, preserves and prepares this massive catalogue for
exhibition, but its work is far more complicated than a day at the dry
cleaners. History, ethics, philosophy and science all influence a
conservator’s decision-making — it can be surprisingly complex. . . . As the Costume Institute prepares for its forthcoming exhibition, In Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection,
the laboratory’s “patients” lie obediently still. The show will reveal
highlights from the collection of Schreier, a fashion historian and
collector whose childhood passion for beautiful clothes and
silver-screen Hollywood glamour grew into an unparalleled treasure trove
of significant clothing.
European jerkin, maker unknown, ca. 1570-80: This
mysterious garment’s imposing and questionable history is a reminder
that fashion can leave us with a haunting sense of lived experience long
after the wearer is gone. Valuable even at the time it was created,
this velvet jerkin has likely been reworked — as Scaturro notes, “Very
few things come into our collection 100 per cent unaltered.” Atypically,
it does not open at the front. This, combined with its relatively small
size, may mean it was worn by a woman. In preparation for an exhibition
in another department at the museum, conservator Elizabeth Schaeffer
uncovered more of the jerkin’s story, beginning with a microscopic
analysis of its cut velvet pattern. By distinguishing between worn
patches and places where the velvet was intentionally “voided”, or flat,
Schaefer has rediscovered the fabric’s original pattern. With each
layer of new information, the stately piece reveals its story.
To read more about the range of collections and conservation at the Met's Costume Institute, visit the British Vogue website here.
