A youth-driven Met fashion exhibit, for a changing world

By JOCELYN NOVECK
AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The new exhibit at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art seeks to start a new conversation about American fashion, says its curator, Andrew Bolton. “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” part one of a larger “In America” show, opens to the public later this week and launches Monday’s “mini” Met Gala. Rather than survey history, it looks squarely at the present, at issues including social justice, diversity and inclusivity, and body acceptance. Most importantly, though, it emphasizes youth: Some 60-70% of its garments come from younger designers, many of whom have never had their creations shown in a museum before or even imagined it.