China: Through the Looking Glass

China: Through the Looking Glass was an art exhibition held in 2015 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art focusing on the impact of Chinese design on Western fashion over the centuries. It was curated by Andrew Bolton (with the support of Harold Koda).

The exhibit was extremely popular in New York City and resulted in record attendance for the museum, drawing more visitors than that of the previous record holder among popular Costume Institute exhibitions, Savage Beauty. Originally scheduled to run from 7 May to 16 August, it was extended through September 7 and will be open through the night on its final weekend.

The exhibition inverts Orientalism, choosing to focus on "the East as authentic". The show "aims to readdress Edward Said's notion of Orientalism—a criticism of the West's depictions of the East as patronising and inauthentic."

A documentary film about the exhibition, The First Monday in May was released on April 15, 2016.

A dress by Alexander McQueen in the style of a traditional Chinese clothing; the gown is exhibited alongside Han dynasty ceramic figures

A Givenchy dragon gown

"The Weight of the Millennium", a dress by Li Xiaofeng, made entirely of porcelain pieces

A Balenciaga dress with Chinese floral motif

Evening dresses from Valentino, with Chinese symbolism

A gown infused with Eastern and Western aesthetics

Detail on Guo Pei's silk dress

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