History’s Role in Female Fashion

I read with interest the story about the opening at the L.A. County Museum of Art’s “A Century of Fashion, 1900-2000” exhibition (“A Crash Course in Fashion,” Dec. 22).

Costume does not set history in motion, it merely reflects societal changes, and this small, handpicked exhibition showed us the radical changes that happened for women during the past century. For many thousands of years, women were covered from head to toe in voluminous, usually body-concealing garments. That has certainly changed in the past century. Individual selections are merely subjective choices in a way--and I must comment on the beauty and complexity of apparel chosen by the curatorial staff.

I would hope that this interesting collection of tradition and, in some cases, quixotic choices, would be enjoyed by many, many visitors to the museum.

MAGGIE MURRAY

Gallery director

Fashion Institute

of Design & Merchandising

Museum & Galleries