The Museum at FIT in June

THE LATEST NEWS ... What's Happening ...  **Do You Pin?** We do! We're now on Pinterest and hope you'll stop by to take a look at our inspirational boards! We've got loads of fashion history boards organized by centuries, decades and designers, as well as boards on fashion illustration, style icons, techniques, fashion photography, and much more. **Valerie Steele discusses whether Fashion is Art ** Valerie is the keynote speaker at two European venues this month: Fashion Tales 2012, June 7-9, is the 13th International Conference of ModaCult - Center for the Study of Fashion and of Cultural Production of the Università Cattolica of Milan, and on June 15 for the Museum Moderner Kunst in Vienna, Valerie speaks in conjunction with thier exhibition Reflecting Fashion: Art and Fashion since Modernism.  **Award winners!** Jennifer Farley and Colleen Hill recently presented at the Costume Society of America's National Symposium in Atlanta, GA for thier work on the exhibition Eco-Fashion: Going Greenwhich won the Costume Society of America's Richard Martin Exhibition Award in 2011. Read more here.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS Fashion Culture: Special Programs Fashion Culture programs and events are free unless otherwise indicated, and are organized by The Museum at FIT to provide insightful and intriguing perspectives on the culture of fashion.  Reservations are required. Space is limited. To RSVP for a program, Register Online Here Talk and Tour: Fashion A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of The Museum at FIT Join curator Colleen Hill for a tour of the second installment of MFIT's showcase of modern and contemporary design, featuring selections from the museum’s permanent collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories. Wednesday, July 20, 10:30am

CURRENT EXHIBITION Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT, Part Two  Alexander McQueen, dress in silk satin and chiffon with photo digital print, spring 2010, England, museum purchase.  May 23 - November 10, 2012 Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT, Part Two is the second of two exhibitions that highlight modern and contemporary pieces from the Museum’s permanent collection. More than sixty garments and accessories are featured by designers from Adrian to Zoran, including work by Charles James, Ralph Lauren, and Diane von Furstenberg. Full portraits of all exhibition objects from the two exhibitions will be included in a companion publication by TASCHEN, forthcoming fall 2012. Read more here.

UPCOMING EXHIBITION Triangle Factory Fire: Then, Since, Now  The Fight to Flee the Fire, Min Suk Choi, 2012, mixed media. June 13 - July 7, 2012  The MFA in Illustration program, in collaboration with the American History Department and the Triangle Factory Fire Coalition, present Triangle Factory Fire: Then, Since, Now. This exhibition presents the work of 25 artists, with each piece presenting a visual interpretation of the fire, its impact, and its aftermath. Works include paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture, and interactive media.

UPCOMING EXHIBITION Ivy Style  Chipp, madras jacket, circa 1970. The Museum at FIT, 87.111.4, gift of Glenn Forbes.  September 14, 2012 - January 5, 2013 Ivy Style celebrates one of the most enduring clothing styles of the 20th century. While viewed today as a classic form of dressing, in its heyday, Ivy style—or the “Ivy League look” —was actually so cutting-edge that it went on to inform the evolution of menswear for decades. This exhibition examines the genesis of Ivy style on the prestigious college campuses of the United States during the early years of the twentieth century, looks at the ways in which the style became codified by mid-century, and reveals how, nearly one hundred years after its inception, Ivy style is still a thriving global influence. Ivy Style presents three main periods of the look: the interwar years of the 1920s and 1930s; the post-war era to the end of the 1960s; and the revival from the 1980s to the present. Focusing almost exclusively on menswear dating from the early 20th century through today, more than sixty ensembles, both historic and contemporary, are intermingled in an environment evocative of an Ivy League university campus. Period material will include suits, letter sweaters, university reunion and class jackets, athletic wear, and textiles from private lenders as well as the permanent collection of The Museum at FIT. Pioneering American firms such as Brooks Brothers and J. Press will be represented by tweed jackets, polo coats, and many other classic items. A recreation of a mid-century university shop will pay homage to the traditional purveyors of Ivy style, as well as to such sartorial staples as the Oxford cloth shirt, khaki pants, penny loafers, and madras shorts. Items from the Andover Shop, Bass, Arrow Shirts, Ralph Lauren, Jeffrey Banks, and Tommy Hilfiger will appear in the exhibition, as will examples of contemporary, new interpretations of Ivy by renowned designers such as Michael Bastian and Thom Browne. In addition, many unique Ivy League objects—period photographs, sports ephemera, and drinking glasses—will be on loan from The Cary Collection.

LINKS WE LIKEA world of fashion is on the web Stars in Dior Did you know that before Dior opened his couture house in 1947 he had designed clothes for the cinema, collaborating with directors including Claude Autant-Lara and René Clair? That Rita Hayworth was in the front row of his first show? Lauren Bacall - 88 We posted this striking image of Lauren Bacall by celebrity photographer Andy Gotts on our Facebook page and the response was tremendous. The aging beauty of this screen star moved people in a variety of ways. How does it affect you? We love short shorts This 1951 men's fashion show really gives stripes and spots a run for their money. More zippers anyone? The Schiaparelli brand is going to be revived. The Metropolitan Museum's current exhibition on Schiaparelli and Prada sure is a fortuitous platform to let people know... A Fashion History Backstory Here's an utterly charming story about the designer Nettie Rosenstein and two Fashion Institute of Technology alums! Hot or Not....that is the question... Marc Jacobs' outfit at the Costume Institute Gala - consisting of a black lace dress, white boxers, and Pilgrim shoes - drew mixed reactions. Was it humourous, daring, silly, shocking, or just a plain fashion disaster? Who needs a little Therapy? We do!! Finally...a fashion film that's not just a music video! Roman Polanski directs this short film for Prada, A Therapy, with Ben Kingsley and Helena Bonham Carter.  A man seriously obsessed with jeans! This video presents Roy Denim (aka Roy Slaper), a man who is committed to making quality jeans one pair at a time...by himself. If you don't look good, we don't look good Remembering Vidal Sassoon

MUSEUM PUBLICATIONIMPACT - 50 Years of the CFDA Book Cover IMPACT is the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, exploring the influence of the careers of America’s most influential designers over the last five decades. Anchored by Patricia Mears’s illuminating essay on the history of the CFDA, this book incorporates over 300 personal statements from the most important names in American fashion, including Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, Ralph Lauren, Proenza Schouler, and Donna Karan. Illustrated with many never-before-seen images, this is the ultimate American fashion who’s who and a celebration of this important fashion organiza­tion. Accompanied by elegant images of these career-changing moments, this book is the definitive word on the voice of American fashion. About the authors Cathy Horyn is an American fashion journalist who works as a critic for the New York Times, where she also keeps a highly noted and provocative blog called On The Runway. Diane von Furstenberg is an internationally renowned designer and current president of the CFDA. Patricia Mears is deputy director at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology and was the curator of the 2012IMPACT exhibit that accompanied the publication of the book. Available from Abrams

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, M, 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. For more information, be sure to visit our website at www.fitnyc.edu/museum or phone our information line at 212-217-4558 For Press Information about any of our exhibitions or programs, please call the Office of Communications and External Relations, 212-217-4700

The exhibitions and programs of The Museum at FIT are supported in part by the generosity of the members of the Couture Council

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