NY's Met extends hit fashion exhibition

A Chanel wedding ensemble at the Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology exhibition. [Photo/Agencies]

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art said on Thursday that it is extending the hours of the Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology exhibition that has drawn near-record visits.

The exhibit in the US museum's Costume Institute explores handmade and machine-made creations of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear in more than 170 ensembles, with the oldest dating to the early 20th century.

"Manus"－hand－and "Machina"－machine－has attracted more than 664,000 visitors since its May 5 opening, the Met said.

That has pushed it into the Costume Institute's second place for attendance, topping Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in 2011, which drew slightly more than 661,000 visitors.

The department's most popular show, last year's blockbuster China: Through the Looking Glass, attracted nearly 816,000 visitors and is the Met's fifth most-visited exhibition.

The Met said it was adding six more hours of viewing time on Manus x Machina's final weekend.

The museum will close at midnight on Sept 2 and 3, instead of its normal time at 9 pm. The exhibit ends on Sept 5.

The exhibit already was extended by three weeks from Aug 14.

The signature piece is a 2014 wedding ensemble with a 5.48-meter train by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel made of scuba knit, a synthetic material, and hand embroidered.

Among the other designers are names from some of the world's leading fashion houses, including Balenciaga, Pierre Cardin, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Yves Saint Laurent.

Manus x Machina was the inspiration for the Met's annual gala this year, whose star-studded attendees included Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Bradley Cooper and Johnny Depp.