A SS12 Comme des Garçons piece reveals nylon fibres
RESEARCH

Fashion Under the Microscope

Revealing the micro textures of couture

Conservators at The Costume Institute at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art use micrograph technology to uncover details about garments in their collections, in order to preserve them better. In a laboratory where no pens or shoes are allowed, the Met Museum looks after  look after a collection of over 35,000 garments and accessories, which spans seven centuries and five continents.
Photo: Photomicrograph of Indra and Buddhist Guardians, 1750. Photo- Chi Sun Park Asian Art Museum
Photo: ulle fiber, showing starch in interstices, from silk bobbinet on Wedding Dress, 1856–59. Micrograph by Glenn Petersen, Conservator at The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art