Fashion Unraveled Symposium... A mountain of things I haven't told you...

I don't want to exhaust you with this, but the symposium I attended this past Saturday set my creative and artisanal brain on ABSOLUTE fire.

Where do I even begin?

Okay, we all reach the creative point where we start to analyze why we do what we do.  Does it matter?  Is it silly or frivilous?  Why is this so important to me?

Maybe you bristle when you make something you feel is lovely (which, truth be told, is ALL that matters), and someone says something that indicates that they have missed the point entirely.  People are often impressed when I simplify an item I've made, by just stating that it was "custom made", and then, when they wanna know where to buy it, I reveal that I am the maker.  Then, I get the looks of "You must be crazy to make your own shoes!", or "Why aren't you doing this as a business?"

But, really, those are my own issues.  I do make things for people, lead tours, consult and source when I am the right person for the job, but this whole area of my life is so much bigger than that.  What i am beginning to tell you, could probably be a novel's worth of information, but I'll put it here, because I need to process and express it, even if it isn't widely read or commented on...  Sick with me, and I'll just add to this post in parts, until I'm done.  How long with that take?  I dunno.  Let's see....

Unraveled... experience it vicariously here.

Go, if you can.  It is wonderfully done.

Museum at FIT

227 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001

Know the hours.  The exhibit is free.

On now until Nov 17, 2018

The Body: Fashion and Physique (FIT exhibit)

The Museum at FIT

Seventh Avenue at 27th Street (corner)

Closed Sunday, Monday and legal holidays

otherwise, 10AM-8PM (5PM on Saturday)

This exhibit was absolute MAGIC, assuming you have the time and patience to really think it through.  Brilliantly curated by Emma McClendon, this exhibit is about so much more than clothing.  My words won't drive the points home nearly as well as a visit to the exhibit will.

If you can get here while the exhibit is still open (which is quite a while), don't miss it.  It is free, quiet, near some great fabric and notions shopping, and delicious restaurants.  You NEED to see it, but particularly for its academic and social messages and impact, more than it's visual one.

Seriously, can we talk about corsets and 18" waists? This false information has been repeated and repeated... while only simple measurements of old corsets will tell you the truth.  why do we subscribe to notions of how we should be shaped, or what we should like, based on what the clothing available to us looks like?

I was really amazed by the custom dress made for the comedienne Leslie Jones.  The beauty of it was just breath-taking.  Why did it take Christian Siriano to make the "brave" step of offering to make her a gown?

The industry has opened up to a growing cross section of people, and certain designers have embraced a diverse view...

-from the exhibition pamphlet

Just go see it.   Feel free to ask questions, to yourself, to each other... but open up, and think about what should be, and what CAN be.  Get inspired!

Currently at FIT Museum - EXPEDITION: Fashion from the Extreme

Expedition

Let's be honest. I wasn't really jazzed to see this exhibit, because I really couldn't see a direct application of this topic in my life.  But... last weekend, since I was near FIT anyway, I stepped inside, casually walked downstairs (for this one), prepared to be unimpressed.

And yet again, I was WRONG!

Think of it this way: "Travel to extreme environments is a relatively modern phenomenon." This is the opening line of the exhibition pamphlet I held in my hand as I wandered into the space.

Think on that for a second.  Fine. Give it more than a second. Yeah... Safari, camouflage, ski parkas, scuba gear, space travel... actually... I do get it. Didn't think I did, but I do!

To really appreciate the variety and beauty of the pieces presented, you'll have to go in person. No spoilers here.  It really is a thinking person's exhibit, and you won't regret it.

On view until January 6, 2018

Can't go in person? Visit virtually here.

Black Designers at the FIT Museum - you won't know unless you go...

When I walked into the exhibit on a Saturday, around 12 PM, I didn't expect a crowd.  But there was one.  I didn't expect a really diverse audience, but there was one.

Two very excited ladies (not Black), oohing and aahing over the pieces heard me talking to the extremely knowledgeable black guard (older gentleman) who gave me book recommendations, and overheard our frenzied chatter about how great the exhibit was, and asked me, "What were you expecting?"

Great question. I don't know that I can answer that. Did I expect hoodies, endless t-shirts, sneakers, jackets and caps, emblazoned with hip-hop themes and street lingo?  Maybe I did.

Pharrell

Clothes you would never otherwise dream of, or see...

Epperson

To follow up on my earlier post on this exhibit, I will share what made it so great.  Click here for the audio tour component of the exhibit, which you can watch from anywhere.

I can only suggest that you go. I saw brilliance.  I saw the work and mention of some people I actually know personally.  I saw recent historical references I understand. I saw magical pieces.  My brain took a leap.  I felt great about what I saw, those pieces, the exhibit, and I knew... THIS exhibit is for me.

Proust's Muse

What a beautiful exhibit!  I took a quick survey today, but I know I have to come and drink it all in without a time limit on another day.

With no photo or video allowed for this particular show, all I can say is "GO" (in all caps).  This show is beautiful, and it makes me think of what seems to me to be a forgotten demographic.  Mature women of means who want to dress exquisitely... does any such thing exist at this level?

The garments will take your breath away. I don't think any more needs to be said.  This exhibit is perfection. 

See more photos here.

Note: The October 20th symposium is sold out.

Unifiormity exhibit at FIT

The omnipresence of uniforms has shaped our ways of seeing.

-Jennifer Craik (fashion historian) 

Updated: This weekend I saw the Uniformity exhibit, and am updating this post accordingly.  This exhibit isn't a collection of stale uniforms; it actually takes the time to show the uniform's influence on design details, structure, and fabrics used in fashion. It is an intelligent conversation between fashion, inclusion, exclusion and function, worth seeing for a cerebral dose if fashion education.  Less eye-candy than most FIT exhibits, this one will appeal to the thinker/technician/designers among you.

Historically, the exhibit reacher as far back as 1895 (a dress with a "middy" collar) to pieces as modern as a Chanel Fall 2015 "Brasserie Gabrielle" ensemble.  If you think like I do, the featured garments will challenge your definition of what a uniform actually is, and how we identify it. Designed to both fit in and stand out, uniforms are important markers in our daily lives.

http://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/exhibitions/uniformity.php

*Trumpet blares First Call/Reveille...


You awake from a deep slumber...

A stern voice announces -

"There is a new exhibit at the FIT Museum. 

Uniformity is its name."

Check it out by clicking the link here.  Then, schedule yourself accordingly, and go! And that's an order!

On view now at the Museum at FIT - "Fairy Tale Fashion"

The term "fairy tale" is often used to describe clothing that is especially lavish, beautiful, and seemingly unattainable... Each of the 15 tales included in Fairy Tale Fashion, ... was selected for its direct references to clothing or its mention of recurring motifs, such as blonde hair or red roses.

- Colleen Hill, curator 

Today I went to the FIT Museum specifically to experience...

This was a wildly creative exhibit, showcasing the work of many designers I have long admired, and the pieces were just breathtaking. On view until April 16, 2016, and I suggest you visit.

Photography is allowed in this exhibit, and I will share some of my personal photos with you, just to share a taste of how wonderful it all was/is.

A Charles James Gown - La Sirene, 1956

The red shoes

Alexander McQueen Asymmetrical Snowflake dress

And the piece that stole my heart...

Red Riding Hood - Comme de Garcons (Rei Kawakubo) - Spring 2015

While there, I decided to check out the other exhibit (upstairs), which was far more fascinating than I ever would have imagined... 

If you'd like to see the exhibit with a group, you might want to check my friend Peter's blog for meet-up information...

Stay tuned for the next post...