A queen within adorned archetypes

"Experimental gowns, headpieces, and jewelry by avant-garde fashion designers Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Gypsy Sport, and Iris van Herpen investigate symbols of womanhood and challenge conventional notions of beauty. More than 100 articles of daring fashion are presented in a dramatic gallery design that explores eight archetypal personality types. A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes explores seven personality types of a queen - or, metaphorically, a woman: The Sage, Magician, Enchantress, Explorer, Mother Earth, Heroine and Thespian. The story of each persona, which also forms the themes of the exhibition, is articulated through contemporary fashion, photography, film, and artwork. In storytelling, archetypes exist as powerful figures that consolidate certain human universals. Through female archetypes in particular, we may glimpse the essence and multiplicities of feminine resolve. In this exhibition, each form of the queen stands as a powerful wellspring of creative inspiration for contemplating the relationship between dress, society and our shared history."--Publisher's description.