In New York City for the holidays? Here are some exhibits to see!

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, there is a textile exhibit, entitled "Fashion and Virtue: Textile Patterns and the Print Revolution, 1520-1620"  An extremely specific title, to be sure!  The Museum describes the exhibit:  

The practice of embroidery was seen as a virtuous endeavor, and textile pattern books, published with great frequency from the 1520s onward, were designed to inspire, instruct, and encourage "beautiful and virtuous women" in this esteemed practice. Straddling the disciplines of early printmaking, ornament design, and textile decoration, these works help shed light on the crucial period when the concept of fashion as a means of distinguishing individual identity became fixed in Western society.

As noted by a reader (see comments below), there is another exhibit at the MET to see, entitled  "Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style", featuring this style icon whose originality and elegance established her as one of the most celebrated fashion personas of the 20th century. 

On view until January 10, this exhibit will excite the historians, artists and enthusiasts among you.  see this related article for more details. 

At the  Museum of the City of New York, you can see a grand exhibit that explores the history of this great city!

At Discovery Times Square, you can see the Star Wars Costume exhibit!

From the press release: 

Featuring 70 hand-crafted costumes from the first six blockbuster Star Wars films, this exhibition reveals the artists’ creative process—and uncovers the connection between character and costume. George Lucas imagined and created a fantastical world filled with dynamic characters who told the timeless story of the hero’s journey. The costumes shaped the identities of these now famous characters, from the menacing black mask of Darth Vader and the gilded suit of C-3PO, to the lavish royal gowns of Queen Amidala and a bikini worn by Princess Leia when enslaved by Jabba the Hutt. A special presentation for the showing at Discovery Times Square in New York will feature seven additional costumes from the highly anticipated film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 

At the Cooper Hewitt Museum, The Making Design exhibit features objects

And seriously now, courtesy of the Cooper Hewitt, an online demonstration of a folding Miyake Dress!

Is there more to see?  Yes, plenty.  But if you need more, I suggest you move here, because even the most ambitious tourist/visitor will absolutely run of time!

Must-see Current Fashion Exhibits

Follow the links in this post to get a brilliant eyeful of inspiration, addresses, admission fees, and hours.

The first exhibit is the one I'm most jazzed about, and then, (if you can still breathe - pretty exciting... right?) are the others I encourage you to check out!

To inspire your next garment district jaunt, I encourage you to take a trip uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Yes, the Met has an exhibit on the Punk movement.  If you are a fan of McQueen, Westwood, Rei Kawakubo, and Versace (and really... who isn't?)  this is an exhibit for you.

Punk: Chaos to Couture

Focusing on the relationship between the punk concept of "do-it-yourself" and the couture concept of "made-to-measure," the seven galleries will be organized around the materials, techniques, and embellishments associated with the anti-establishment style. Themes will include New York and London, which will tell punk's origin story as a tale of two cities, followed by Clothes for Heroes and four manifestations of the D.I.Y. aesthetic—Hardware, Bricolage, Graffiti and Agitprop, and Destroy.

To top it off, the juxtaposition of this exhibit against another, tamer one is particularly brilliant.  Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity is closing next week, and you MUST see it.  Not only for the standards you imagine; corsets made to squeeze in tiny waists, and lots of white dresses, but also for the menswear and consumer culture sections, which bring some additional food for creative thought.


As if that weren't enough, opening TODAY... the Museum at FIT offers RetroSpective, an exhibit showing pieces in the museum's current collection, detailing how the present continues to borrow from the past.

Deep breath... and now...

Be sure to check out the Museum of the City of New York, where the Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced is showing until July 28.

Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced is the first major examination of the work of the designer The New York Times called in 1977 the “brightest star of American fashion.” It looks at the period spanning the 1970s when Stephen Burrows’s meteoric rise to fame made him not only the first African-American designer to gain international stature, but a celebrated fashion innovator whose work helped define the look of a generation. With vibrant colors, metallic fabrics, and slinky silhouettes that clung to the body, Burrows’s danceable designs generated a vibrant look that was of a piece with the glamorous, liberated nightlife of the era. Through photographs, drawings, and original garments, the exhibition will trace Burrows’s evolution from creating eclectic looks for his friends in the 1960s to his work with the chic 57th Street retailer Henri Bendel to the floor of Studio 54, as he dressed such 70s style icons as Cher, Liza Minnelli, and Diana Ross.

And... if you find yourself (if you're a student, apparently) in the Garment District today, check out the Stoll Fashion and Technology Knitting Center, which has long been a mystery business in the Garment District to me, as I have walked past, looked in the windows, and wondered...

Okay - these are your missions.  Report back on your impressions after visiting.  I'd love to see your comments!