It may not come with the pageantry and fanfare of the Costume Institute’s spring shows, but the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s current Masterworks: Unpacking Fashion exhibition is still an absolute must-see. There’s something to delight and inspire anyone in this collection of pieces that, like canonical works of painting or sculpture, have changed the direction of men’s and women’s fashion since the 18th century.

Low light and a bubbling Philip Glass soundtrack encourage a slow wander through the galleries, which reveal standouts including a Balenciaga dress that captivates in its simplicity, especially when surrounded by a Valentino safety pin dress and two stunning iterations of Yves Saint Laurent’s 1971 lip print. A Viktor & Rolf cut ball gown is presented so intimately that details and irregularities are as visible as brushstrokes.

The show is a delightful crash course in fashion’s evolution, featuring lessons in its longtime interaction with the other fine arts – don’t miss the Gilbert Adrian dress executed in a Salvador Dalí-designed fabric– and the history behind now-iconic contemporary looks such as the side-by-side pairing of sequined sports jersey-inspired dresses by Geoffrey Beene and Tom Ford. For those well-versed in sartorial history, it is also a chance to examine Raf Simons for Dior, Thom Browne’s most elaborate pieces and Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons at close range.

Save time for the final room featuring gifts to the department in honor of longtime curator Harold Koda’s retirement last year. An embellished halter gown from Chanel (Koda’s all-time favorite piece by Karl Lagerfeld for the house) and a Margiela coat dress by John Galliano are masterful.

“Masterworks: Unpacking Fashion” is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through February 5.