Exhibition Tour: Imagine Me and You—When Costumes Ruled the World

Join Talitha Maria G. Schepers, curator of the exhibition Imagine Me and You: Dutch and Flemish Encounters with the Islamic World, 1450–1750 (May 18–August 18, 2024), for a deep dive into 16th-century costume books. Although European costume depictions showed attire in incredible detail, their main aim was not to provide insight into contemporary fashion but to classify and bring order to an ever-expanding world. Fashion at the time did not have today’s connotations of seasonal change in style and taste. What people wore defined their social identity, providing crucial information about their gender, religion, profession, and social rank. People were accustomed to “reading” one another through their clothing. We warmly invite you to join us in a close examination of some of the costume depictions on view in Imagine Me and You.