Hollywood's view of Chinese fashion

Hollywood has long been fascinated with China. But that doesn't mean it has always represented it fully or accurately — far from it.

In the new exhibit "China: Through the Looking Glass," early Hollywood — and film in general — is just one of the lenses through which the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute explores the way Chinese art and aesthetics have been interpreted by the West over the years.

Another, naturally, is fashion — and the show boasts a massive 30,000 square feet of gallery space filled with rich ensembles: Chinese costumes, historic garments and decorative arts, displayed beside the work of dozens of Western designers who were inspired by China.

The exhibition runs through Aug. 16 in New York City.