The Museum at FIT

Talk and Tour Night & Day Wednesday, February 17, 10:30 am Fashion & Textile History Gallery, Museum lobby Take a tour of Night & Day with exhibition curator Molly Sorkin. The exhibition examines the rules of fashion that dictate how one should dress to suit the time of day, activity, and/or occasion. It features day and evening garments that illustrate these rules, and shows how they have changed over the past 250 years, at times operating as a flexible set of guidelines, at others as strictly observed etiquette. Lecture "Resort Fashion" Caroline Rennolds Milbank Monday, February 22, 7-9 pm Katie Murphy Amphitheatre Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, SW corner 7th Ave and 27th St. Fashion historian Caroline Rennolds Milbank will take us across continents, styles, and generations as she presents the vibrant history of resort clothing. She will discuss renowned designers, past and present, who have contributed their unique touches to resort wear, including Claire McCardell, Michael Kors, and Rodarte. A signing of Rennolds’ book, Resort Fashion, will follow the lecture. Programs in March, April, and May are listed on the MFIT website.

CURRENT EXHIBITION American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion Maria Cornejo, One dress, felted grey wool, USA, 2003, Lent by Maria Cornejo - Photograph by William Palmer © MFIT. November 6, 2009 – April 10, 2010 Fashion designed and made in the United States over the past one hundred years has attained worldwide influence due in large part to the creation and popularization of sportswear, denim, and mass marketing. Yet, contrary to popular belief, America has also produced artistic and innovative clothing that utilized the craft of dressmaking. American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion is the first exhibition to examine the relationship between the “philosophy of beauty” and the technical craft of dressmaking in the United States. Curated by deputy director Patricia Mears, the exhibition features approximately 90 garments by a highly selective group of American fashion designers. The garments on view are the work of only about 25 designers, many of whom are all but unknown, such as Jessie Franklin Turner, Elizabeth Hawes, and Charles Kleibacker. Their work is exhibited alongside that of more celebrated creators—Halston, Claire McCardell, and Charles James, for example. In addition, work by designers of the past are juxtaposed with present-day designers, such as Isabel Toledo, Ralph Rucci, Jean Yu, Yeohlee, Maria Cornejo, and the Mulleavy sisters, who work under the Rodarte label. Exhibition Website Support for this exhibition and the related symposium (December 2009) is provided by 1stdibs.com, the online resource for antique and vintage design. Additional support is provided by The Coby Foundation. yoox.com is the museum’s online media partner for American Beauty.

CURRENT EXHIBITION Night & Day Rochas (Olivier Theyskens), evening dress, black chantilly lace, black and silver cellophane, spring 2004, France, Gift of Maison Rochas - Photograph ©MFIT 2009  December 3 – May 11, 2009 The Museum at FIT presents Night & Day, a new exhibition examining how the rules that dictate appropriate dress for women have changed over the past 250 years. Featured are more than 100 day and evening garments, textiles, and accessories displayed in chronological order that illustrate the conventions for appropriate dress for a particular time of day, activity, or occasion and how these conventions continually change. Curated by Molly Sorkin, Night & Day reveals the evolution of the rules that govern fashion, including eras when strictly observed etiquette was the norm and other times when more flexible guidelines prevailed. The exhibition includes work by designers such as Christian Dior, Charles James, Yves Saint Laurent, and Olivier Theyskens for Rochas.

UPCOMING EXHIBITION Scandal Sandals & Lady Slippers: A History of Delman Shoes Delman, cocktail shoe, multi-color floral print with gold brocade, circa 1958, USA. On loan from Delman Archive - Photograph by Eileen Costa ©MFIT. March 9 - April 3, 2010 The Museum at FIT presents Scandal Sandals & Lady Slippers: A History of Delman Shoes, featuring a vibrant and detailed selection of the glamorous, innovative, and classic styles that made Delman Shoes—now celebrating its 90th anniversary—a leader in women’s footwear. As the first exhibition devoted to the history of the brand, Scandal Sandals will explore and reveal the company’s renowned style, advertising, and craftsmanship. The objects on display, dating roughly between 1926 and 2007, will chronicle the company’s rich and creative past. Delman shoes were worn by many movie stars and distinguished women of society, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, and Marlene Dietrich. The company’s name will forever be associated with these iconic women. Scandal Sandals and Lady Slippers has been organized and curated by FIT graduate students of the Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice program. The exhibition celebrates the 90th anniversary of Delman and marks the 25th anniversary of FIT’s Fashion and Textile Studies graduate program.

MUSEUM PUBLICATION American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion This beautifully illustrated book is the first to examine the relationship between innovation and aesthetics as expressed by American couturiers and fashion designers from the late 1910s to the present day. The book, which accompanies the exhibition, reveals that great design and great style are consistent elements in the work of American’s best fashion designers. Patricia Mears introduces many great forgotten figures, as well as many familiar names. Work by lesser-known figures, such as Jessie Franklin Turner, Ronaldus Shamask, and Charles Kleibecker, is discussed alongside pieces by more celebrated creators, such as Halston and Charles James; work by designers of the past is juxtaposed with that of present-day designers such as Rick Owens, Yeolee Teng, and Maria Comejo. James’s grand and structurally imposing gowns from the 1950s appear alongside contemporary Infantas by Ralph Rucci; the section on draping juxtaposes 1930s gowns by Elizabeth Hawes and Valentina with more contemporary garments by Jean Yu and Isabel Toledo; clothing cut into pure geometric shapes, such as circles, triangles, and rectangles, is illustrated by World War I–era teagowns by Jessie Franklin Turner, Claire McCardell’s mid-century rompers garments, and modern sportswear by Yeohlee and Shamask. While the United States may be best known worldwide for its casual mass-marketed garments, Mears demonstrates that artistry, innovation, and flawless construction are the true marks of American fashion.  Barnes & Noble, FIT affiliated bookstore

MUSEUM INFORMATION The Museum at FIT is dedicated to advancing knowledge of fashion through exhibitions, programs and publications. The Museum is open to the public free of charge, Tuesday - Friday, Noon - 8pm, and Saturday 10 am - 5pm. Located on the Southwest corner of Seventh Avenue at 27th Street in New York City, the museum can be reached by subway: 1, C, E, F, V, N, or R, and by bus: M20 and M23. Penn Station is close by at 31st Street for the Long Island Railroad, New Jersey Transit, and Amtrak.