“The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion,’’ a wonderful show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, traces the evolution of the fashion model over 50 years, from 1947 to 1997, by which time the supermodel era was coming to a close and fashion houses were once again turning away from star models, opting instead for either Hollywood starlets or anonymous, interchangeable-looking models.

"Twiggy in Yves Saint Laurent" (1967), photographed by Bert Stern, from "The Model as Muse" exhibit in New York.