Sporting Life

Sporting Life explored the relationship between active sportswear and fashion over the past 150 years. Participation in sports, for recreation as well as competition, has increased dramatically since the late nineteenth century. The clothing worn for such pursuits has often been influenced by fashion—and vice versa. Featuring more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles from the Museums permanent collection, the exhibition discussed changes in silhouette, construction, and technology that have improved the performance and aesthetic of active sportswear. In addition, active sportswear garments were juxtaposed with the fashionable ready-to-wear garments they have inspired.

Sporting Life had sections devoted to competitive sports: football, baseball, tennis and golf—as well as activities such as bicycling, horseback riding, motoring, skating, skiing, hunting, walking, swimming, and surfing. Highlights included women's swimwear from the mid-nineteenth century and a woman's bicycling ensemble with divided skirt, circa 1888. The exhibition also featured fashion by designers such as Claire McCardell, Norma Kamali, Stephen Sprouse, and Isabel Toledo. Sporting Life was organized by Fred Dennis, Jennifer Farley, and Colleen Hill.