An impressive array of clothing, accessories, and library materials was acquired through gift and purchase during the 1990s by The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Adding substantially to its comprehensive collection gathered over fifty-five years, the costumes span three centuries, beginning with a magnificent and rare silk damask brocaded English mantua of 1708 and including a wide-ranging selection such as a luxuriously embroidered and sequinned French mans ensemble of about 1765. a sparkling Agnès Drécoll robe en pannier of 1912, a beautiful Charles James wedding gown of 1940, and a slinky gold-tone metal mesh Gianni Versace evening gown of 1997–98.