says Farley. "It's just this wearable campaign poster with his nickname splashed all over it. In our research, we found information in the New York Times about the variety of fashions associated with his re-election campaign—raincoats, jewelry, stockings—and we're very lucky that we have this example."

"The monokini was introduced in 1964 by Rudi Gernreich; basically it's a topless swimsuit," says Marra." It was very shocking when it first was introduced and it instantly became a symbol of the '60s sexual revolution. It was actually banned by the pope. This swimsuit earned Gernreich a reputation as a social commentator because it was his vision of a strong, uninhibited modern woman."

"In this suit, Tam uses propaganda images of the Chinese leader Mao Zedong in an unconventional way to challenge theimage of power," says Farley. "She has said that the black-and-white design was meant to represent both the positive and negative effects that he'd had on Chinese culture."

Stephen Sprouse for Knoll Textiles, Graffiti Camo in green and brown with Declaration of Independence in orange, 2004

"Sprouse is alluding to the complex relationship between the government and military," says Marra of the punk designer's subversive tribute to the Declaration of Independence, which features a bright orange graffiti overlay on a camouflage background.

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