The George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum
Platform shoes worn by actress Mae West in the 1950s were used to increase her height by more than 8 inches. In the foreground,shoes for a Manchu noblewoman from China that date to the late 19th century. Both are on display at the Foggy Bottom museum that opened Monday. (Brett Zongker / Associated Press)
Converse All-Star sneakers embroidered with Native American beads, made in 2003, on display at the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. Beadwork is a textile art that celebrates native heritage. (Brett Zongker / Associated Press)
The installation of part of one of three inaugural exhibitions called “Unraveling Identity: Our Textiles, Our Stories” at the new museum in Washington, D.C. (Brett Zongker / Associated Press)
Senior curator Sumru Belger Krody discusses the imagery depicted in an Asian textile piece at the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. (Brett Zongker / Associated Press)