A Close Look at an 18th-Century Court Suit
4 Video Views·May 21, 2025
Explore behind the scenes at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Conservation Laboratory, where objects in the collection and exhibition loans are expertly conserved. In this video, Laura Mina, associate conservator in The Met's Costume Institute, offers a close look at an 18th-century court suit.
This is a man suit from the 18th century that would have been worn to court in the final days
of the French monarchy. This is the white tie of its time period. The silk velvet is woven with
stripes so you see this pink ground fabric behind. My job is to make it strong enough that it can
be exhibited. The lining gets a lot of wear and tear as it goes on and off of mannequins
and so I'm using new fabrics and new stitches to make it structurally stable and strong.
Then there's an overlay of sheer fabric that will protect the original material from any abrasion
and future researchers can still see that original material even through the conservation work.
On the waistcoat the fabric around the buttons split so I sewed them closed. A lot of the needles
that I used are curved needles designed for eye surgeons. The tailor and the embroidery used
fabric needles and threads. I'm using the same three materials so I see myself as the continuation
of the work that went into the suit and now I'm just helping it travel into the future.