Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology!

Exhibitions

Mode & Textile History Gallery November 17, 2021 - May 15, 2022

Head to Toe

This exhibition explores approximately 200 years of women'south dress from 1800 to the early 21st century through the lens of accessories.

Installation paradigm
Installation paradigm
Installation prototype

Black and white suit with miniskirt with bold block letters spelling Fashoff

Minimalism. Retro revivals. Deconstruction. The rejuvenation of haute couture. These are just a few of the concepts that have come to define 1990s manner, which was non easily characterized past a scattering of silhouettes or the dictates of a few designers. As fashion editor Stephen Gan wrote in 1997, "To focus on ane current expect or to obsess over the ascent and autumn of hemlines is to miss out on the wonder and diverseness in manner today."

Reinvention and Restlessness: Fashion in the Nineties is organized by Colleen Hill, curator of costume and accessories, and features more than 70-v looks from Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Helmut Lang, Maison Martin Margiela, Prada, XULY.Bët, and many others. The exhibition centers on designers who challenged the expected appearance or workings of high fashion, and who played an of import role in laying the foundation for manner of the 20-first century.

The exhibition is accompanied by a book of the aforementioned title, published by Rizzoli Electa. More than than 150 images past photographers such as Marker Borthwick, Corinne Twenty-four hours, Patrick Demarchelier, Craig McDean, Nick Knight, David Sims, and Ellen Von Unwerth illustrate some of the most important fashions of this dynamic decade.

Prototype: Moschino suit, black and off white rayon with crimson wood buttons, 1990, Italian republic, museum purchase, 2009.1.4

mannequin in a brown tunic with metallic stripes and black pants

Asian Americans in New York Way: Design, Labor, Innovation celebrates the Asian American community's diverse contributions to the fashion manufacture through a pick of garments, textiles, runway clips, and photographs. The recent rise of racially-motivated attacks confronting Asian Americans due to the COVID-xix pandemic has shown the need for increased back up for Asian American communities. Using objects from The Museum at FIT drove, this exhibition raises awareness of the diverse and essential ways that Asian Americans have shaped the New York Fashion industry.

Organized by the graduate students in the Fashion and Material Studies program in collaboration with The Museum at FIT, Asian Americans in New York Fashion: Pattern, Labor, Innovation explores style product, including problems of labor in manufacturing and the significance of materials in the design process. The exhibition centers on Asian American designers' divergent creative narratives, exemplifying the variety of Asian American fashion. This exhibition features works by Prabal Gurung, Naeem Khan, Thakoon Panichgul, Vivienne Tam, Yeohlee Teng, and Vera Wang, among others.

Epitome: Yeohlee Teng ensemble, Autumn 1997, USA, gift of Yeohlee New York, 99.43.2

Upcoming Special Exhibitions Gallery Autumn 2022

Shoes

blue kitten heels with beaded work that reads whaam

Shoes will highlight approximately 400 pairs of shoes from the museum's permanent collection of 4,000 shoes. Following the success of the MFIT exhibitions Shoes: A Lexicon of Style (1999) and Shoe Obsession (2013), this exhibition will provide its ain rich narrative on the enduring cultural significance of shoes, while showcasing the museum's world-class collection of footwear. The museum'south earliest shoes appointment from the 17th century (a pair of high-heeled men'due south shoes). The virtually recent are spectacular 21st-century footwear. Labels to be featured include Alaïa, Manolo Blahnik, Chanel, Ferragamo, Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Noritaka Tatehana, Iris van Herpen, and Roger Vivier, among others.

Image: Jimmy Choo for Anya Hindmarch, evening mules, circa 1998, England, souvenir of Virginia Barbato. 2017.72.two

The exhibition, curated past Dr. Valerie Steele and Colleen Loma, will be accompanied by a lavishly-illustrated companion book, published by Taschen, like to Way Designers, A-Z: The Collection of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (now in its third edition).

red and white high top sneakers with black nike swoosh

Fresh, Wing, and Fabled: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style will gloat the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop by examining the roots and history of hip hop style from its inception to the present time. This exhibition will explore themes such as the transition of hip hop from the 'hood to the runway, luxury and designer influence, the impact of hip hop celebrities on the fashion industry, and the growth of hip hop fashion as an international phenomenon.

This exhibition is curated by Elena Romero, Banana Professor of Advertising and Marketing Communications at FIT and author of Complimentary Stylin': How Hip Hop Changed the Style Industry together with Elizabeth Way, Assistant Curator at The Museum at FIT.

Image: Nike, "Air Jordan" sneakers, 1985, USA, souvenir of Nike. 85.196.1

We have an archive of over ten years of exhibition websites. Take some time to explore our curatorial history!