Superman's familiar red cape and Mystique's blue scales barely register next to the hilariously winged, feathered, corseted or sequined outfits of fiberglass, rubber or silicone that America's favorite superheroes have inspired recently in some of our top fashion designers.
More than 60 of these colorful costumes (from movies, runway shows and extreme sports) make up ``Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy,'' the high-flying exhibition that has just landed in the seemingly alien territory of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
It is of little consequence that many of these freakish ``ensembles,'' as the curators insist on calling get-ups resembling medieval armor or bondage gear, are too stiff or suffocating to be worn by most humans.
Nor should anyone be concerned that the arrival of such a slight excuse for a scholarly exhibition in so venerable an institution signals an abandonment of cultural responsibility.
Designs sit on display in the Graphic Body Gallery, part of the exhibit "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy," at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, in this undated handout photo. The exhibit will be on display from May 7 through Sept. 1, 2008. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art via Bloomberg News
A model wears a design from the Gareth Pugh Spring/Summer 2007 collection during a fashion show on Sept. 18, 2006. The design will be on display during the exhibit "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from May 7 through Sept. 1, 2008. Source: firstVIEW/Metropolitan Museum of Art via Bloomberg News
