Fashionable Dress

In 1877, the MFA received its first gift of costume: an 18th-century brocaded court gown donated by Italian art dealer Alessandro Castellani. Since then the Museum has collected thousands of examples of fashion and fashion accessories by many of the world’s most significant designers. The Textile and Fashion Arts department collects menswear, 20th-century haute couture, fashion exploring technology and innovation, and work by contemporary and emerging designers.