Admissions

Modern Monclaire admits entries to The Index of women’s culture. Admission stands only when Form, Substance, and Provenance align with clarity. Strength in one never excuses weakness in another. The canon is built for public use, verified in daylight, and published on a twice-yearly cycle.

What We Admit

Objects
Things women keep in active use and care. Form that holds. Materials and making that can be proved. Survival in real rooms.

People
Makers and authors whose work set or sharpened a standard that remains legible in women’s lives and continues to shape practice.

Codes
Repeatable patterns of dress, conduct, care, or making that circulate in daily life and ceremonial space with continuity over time.

The Test · Form · Substance · Provenance

Form
Proportion, construction, material integrity, maintenance, and function. Variants and line extensions are tracked; exemplars are named.

Substance
Cultural weight in women’s lives. Observable use across settings. Persistence and re-readability over time. Plain language that travels.

Provenance
Origin facts, dates, makers, prior custody, and documentation. Assertions require sources. Conflicts are stated and resolved. Hearsay is declined.

Minimum Evidence by Category

Objects — threshold

  • Primary: maker documentation, dated catalog or line sheet, or institutional holding with accession.
  • Secondary: credible journalism or scholarship identifying origin and line.
  • Proof image set we produce or verify.

People — threshold

  • Primary: dated work, exhibition, patent, registration, or publication record.
  • Secondary: critical reception over time, not just viral notice.
  • Identifiers (when applicable): VIAF, ISNI, LCCN, or equivalent.

Codes — threshold

  • Primary: dated appearances across multiple sources and settings.
  • Secondary: enduring usage that can be traced and named in plain terms.
  • Demonstrated utility beyond trend.

Method & Governance

Observation
Quiet fieldwork and archive study. Trade, institutional, and community sources. Notes logged.

Verification
Documents checked. Dates and attributions reconciled. Conflicts flagged and resolved.

Deliberation
Internal review against Form · Substance · Provenance. Dissent is recorded with reasoning.

Decision
Admit, Defer (observe longer), or Decline. All outcomes are logged in the House Ledger with a public change log.

Independence
No paid placement. No editorial barter. Underwriting never confers admission or influence. Conflicts are declared in writing and recusals are logged.

Numbers & House Ledger

Each admission carries a House-issued Ledger ID and status. Re-attributions, transfers, and corrections are dated and entered in the public change log. Cross-references bind related objects, people, and codes to show continuity rather than noise.

ID pattern
MM-INDEX-YYYY-[OBJ|PER|CODE]-###
Example: MM-INDEX-2025-PER-003 (People, 2025, entry 003)

Versioning
Every page carries a visible version stamp: Version 1.0 (Publish date). Any update increments the minor version and records the reason.

Season Timing

Winter cycle
Observation and verification: November–December
Decisions posted: January 31
Publication: February 15

Summer cycle
Observation and verification: May–June
Decisions posted: July 31
Publication: August 15

Evidence Addenda (corrections only)

If you hold primary sources that clarify or correct an admitted entry in women’s culture, email evidence@modernmonclaire.com with subject line:
Addendum — [Entry Name] — [Year]
Include scans or citations. After review, credited contributions are logged in the public change log.

Reconsideration

We reconsider only with new primary evidence or a documented error in Form, Substance, or Provenance. Editorial preference is not grounds for revision. If reconsideration alters classification, the Ledger ID remains; the version and status change and the reasoning is published.

Image & Rights

Documentary images only when requested: neutral light, minimal styling, true color, proof-grade detail, no generative edits. By sending images you confirm a non-exclusive, editorial-only license for our site and social. We will use your preferred credit line. Rights queries are honored promptly. Removal requests require the original rights holder.

Technical notes (preferred)

  • Full-resolution JPEG or TIFF
  • 300 ppi or higher
  • ICC profile embedded
  • Caption components: maker, model/name, material, year, collection/source, credit

Accessibility & Language

Plain-language summaries, alt text for images, and source notes are provided wherever possible. Citations favor durable, public repositories. If a source becomes unavailable, an archived reference is substituted and logged. Translations are reviewed for accuracy; the English text governs when in doubt.

Scope & Limits

Modern Monclaire works globally with a lens centered on women’s culture. We decline: submissions and pitches; unverifiable origin stories; composite or staged imagery presented as documentary proof; speculative dates; advertising language; and works whose primary significance is novelty rather than standard.

Ethics & Sensitivity

For living subjects and contemporary makers, we verify facts against multiple sources. For minors and private individuals, we limit identifying details. Sacred, private, or culturally restricted practices are treated with consultation and care; publication may be limited to description without imagery.

How to Cite Modern Monclaire

Modern Monclaire, The Index. “[Entry Title].” Version and date. Ledger ID. URL.
Example: Modern Monclaire, The Index. “Diane von Fürstenberg.” Version 1.1, 15 Feb 2025. MM-INDEX-2025-PER-003.

Contacts

Evidence and corrections: evidence@modernmonclaire.com
Rights and images: rights@modernmonclaire.com
General: office@modernmonclaire.com