It goes without saying that a good friend would summon the help of Marie Kondo and stage some sort of intervention if one of their loved ones had a collection of approximately 15,000 clothes. However, in the case of one particular woman named Sandy Schreier, their main fascination would likely be centred around how she has never worn any of them. 

Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, fashion historian and writer Schreier has been collecting pieces of couture and ready-to-wear clothing for over half a century. Viewing them as pieces of art as opposed to wearable clothes, her collection includes looks designed by Jeanne Lavin, Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga and Karl Lagerfeld – as well as over 100 pieces of Schiaparelli. Unlike conventional collectors who set out with the intention of creating an archive, her collection began unintentionally at the age of four when her father’s clientele of wealthy women at the now-closed department store, Russeks, would send her pieces of couture after having worn them. 

Now, to celebrate The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 150th anniversary, 80 pieces from her collection will go on display as part of an exhibition entitled In ‘Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection’. Pieces available for visitors to see include a dress from Lagerfeld-era Chloé, alongside an ensemble designed by Yves Saint Laurent for Dior spring/summer 1958. A further 85 pieces have been donated to the Costume Institute. Schreier’s exhibition will follow the Met Gala ’Camp: Notes on Fashion’ display, which closes in September.

The exhibition will be shown at the Anna Wintour Costume Centre from November 27, through to May 17 2020.