The Museum at FIT in April

**TIME is on our side** The Twitter feed of The Museum at FIT (@TheMuseumatFIT) has just been named among TIME magazine’s 140 best of 2013! As the magazine writes: After consulting with TIME editors in every field from politics and sports to technology and entertainment, we’ve compiled a list of Twitter feeds that stand out for their humor, knowledge and personality. It’s not comprehensive—there are more deserving tweeters than we can tally, and all honorees from previous years have been excluded. But like a good tweet, we’ve boiled down the issue to its essence: 140 feeds in 14 categories that you should follow right away. (Link to list) **Fashion and Technology Symposium** Have you heard?? On Thursday, April 25, a group of scholars and fashion insiders, including the notable writer and critic Bradley Quinn, will discuss fashion, design, science, and technology. And it's FREE! Details are below. Register today! **Read Shoe Obsession** Our latest publication coincides with our current exhibition Shoe Obsession. Enjoy an extract from the introduction of the book on YaleBooks' website. **Florence fashion conference** Valerie Steele is one of over 20 speakers at a conference in Florence, Italy, April 17-18 that explores relationships between fashion, culture, and media using theoretical perspectives, as well as practical experiences and non-traditional points of view. A full schedule is available on the Europeana Fashion website. This event is free.

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 limied. To RSVP for a program, Register Online Here A Career in Fashion ~ John Bartlett Tuesday, April 2, 6 pm Fashion designer John Bartlett joins us to talk about his unique career. He is known for his rugged American style, as well as his support of animal rights. In 2012, Bartlett presented the first entirely eco-friendly, cruelty-free menswear collection at New York Fashion Week, and he was recently named winner of the CFDA/Lexus Eco-Fashion Award. Organized in collaboration with the FIT Diversity Council. REGISTER NOW  F4D: Preserving Asian Culture Through Fashion and Textiles ~ Evie Evangelou, Angel Chang, Ardistia Dwiasri, and Auguste Soesastro  Thursday , April 18 , 6 pm Fashion 4 Development (F4D) is an organization that fights to conquer poverty through creativity in various regions around the globe. Evie Evangelou, President & Global Chair of F4D, presents this program about projects in Asia led by designers Angel Chang, Ardistia Dwiasri, and Auguste Soesastro. These three fashion designers discuss how cultural heritage is preserved and passed on through fashion and textiles. In her work, New York-based Chang seeks to stimulate collaboration with technology companies and to inspire innovation. Dwiasri was the 2007 winner of Biore/Gen Art Fashion Award. The major source of inspiration for Jakarta-born Soesastro’s collections come from the designer’s love of heritage, the arts and culture of Indonesia.Organized in collaboration with the FIT Diversity Council. REGISTER NOW Fashion and Technology Sympsoium ~ Cross-Pollination: Fashion and Technology Thursday, April 25, 9 am - 12 noon Scholars and fashion insiders explore the links between fashion and technology from multiple perspectives in this half-day symposium. Bradley Quinn, a well-known consultant and publisher in the fashion industry and author of Techno Fashion, The Fashion of Architecture, UltraMaterials, Textile Designers at the Cutting Edge, Design Futures, Fashion Futures and the forthcoming Textile Visionaries, is the keynote speaker. Other speakers include Steve Zades, creator of the Odyssey Project on Imaginative Intelligence; Suzanne Lee, fashion designer and director of The BioCouture Research Project; and Sabine Seymour, Chief Creative Officer of Moondial. The Fashion and Technology symposium is a collaboration between The Museum at FIT and the School of Graduate Studies at FIT supported in part by the FIT Student-Fauclty Corp.REGISTER NOW

CURRENT EXHIBITION Boots: The Height of Fashion  Jack Jacobus, Ltd., boot, leather, circa 1900, Austria, gift of Victoria and Albert Museum.  March 5 - April 6, 2013 Boots: The Height of Fashion examines how boots emerged as a modern fashion phenomenon during the last century and evolved to become a staple of the fashionable woman’s wardrobe. The exhibition features 20 pairs of women’s boots from the museum's permanent collection, including boots originally worn by fashion icons Jane Holzer and Tina Chow. The exhibition takes the view that boots, as objects, are expressive of power, and it explores this concept via three significant sub-themes: sex, rebellion, and status. Christian Louboutin, Norma Kamali, Yves St. Laurent, Manolo Blahnik, and Marc Jacobs are among the designers featured. Special to this exhibition is a pair of Maison Martin Margiela Tabi boots, likely worn during Margiela’s legendary 1989 fashion show in a Paris, which took place in a vacant lot. Another highlight of the exhibition is a pair of knee-high boots created by couturier Paul Poiret for his wife, Denise, who created a stir when she wore a similar pair on a trip to New York in 1913. Rounding out the exhibition is a unique section that gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at museum conservation practices. Highlighted are the restorative and protective processes that are necessary to prepare boots for exhibition in a gallery. Students in the Fashion and Textile Studies M.A. program at FIT's School of Graduate Studies have collaborated with the Museum at FIT to present Boots: The Height of Fashion.

CURRENT EXHIBITION Shoe Obsession  Roger Vivier (Bruno Frisoni), Eyelash Heelpump, Rendez-Vous (Limited Edition Collection), Fall 2012-2013, Courtesy of Roger Vivier / Photo by Stephane Garrigues.  February 8 - April 13, 2013 Shoe Obsession examines our culture’s ever-growing fascination with extravagant and fashionable shoes. In fact, designer shoes have overtaken “It” bags as the most coveted fashion accessories. In response, shoe departments in major department stores have undergone significant expansions, and the “great designer shoe wars” have escalated. Shoes by established designers such as Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin continue to be bestsellers, while the number of rising stars within the footwear industry is multiplying. Over the past decade, heels have reached new heights—as have prices. High-heeled shoes—the fashion shoes of the 21st century—have become so tall that even a 4-inch heel is considered “low.” Shoe Obsession features approximately 150 examples of contemporary footwear, highlighting the extreme, lavish, and imaginative styles that have made shoes central to fashion. The exhibition includes work by prominent footwear labels such as Manolo Blahnik, Salvatore Ferragamo, Christian Louboutin, and Roger Vivier, as well as shoes from influential design houses, including Azzedine Alaïa, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Prada. Avant-garde designers such as Kei Kagami and Noritaka Tatehana—who have made some of the most extreme shoes of the 21st century—further underscore the exceptional creativity of contemporary shoe design. Shoe Obsession also includes highlights from the incredible shoe collections of several stylish women, including jewelry designer Lynn Ban and fashion icon Daphne Guinness. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, and Colleen Hill, associate curator of accessories. Read More Here or, See the Slideshow on Flickr

CURRENT EXHIBITION Fashion and Technology  Jean Paul Gaultier, jumpsuit, multicolor nylon/spandex, 1996, France, Museum purchase.  December 4, 2012 - May 8, 2013 Fashion and Technology examines how, throughout history, fashion has engaged with technological advancement and been altered by it. Time and again, fashion’s dynamic relationship with technology has both expanded its aesthetic vocabulary and streamlined its means of production. In recent years, designers have made technology a focal point of their collections, but as early as the mid-18th century, technological advancements were shaping fashion design and fabrication. The development of aniline dyes, the sewing machine, synthetic fibers, and zippers have all sent fashion in new directions. More recently, so have wireless circuitry and the creation of fashion design software. Technologies outside of the fashion industry also contribute to change within it. These include global transportation, the internet, blogging, online retailing, and the increased speed of global communication through digital platforms and social-media outlets. The goal of this exhibition is to analyze the impact of technologies on the nature of fashion and its design, and to question whether these developments push the industry forward or ultimately set it back. Fashion and Technology begins with a display of examples from the 18th and 19th centuries, such as a 1780s suit made with a machine-knit textile, and an 1860s dress produced using synthetic dyes. From there, it showcases prominent developments from different time periods, travelling chronologically all the way to the present day. The exhibition features objects exclusively from The Museum at FIT’s costume collection alongside a selection of textiles and accessories that highlight the multifaceted nature of technological development. The use of video monitors and computers enhance the exhibition, offering the opportunity to showcase works by small, cutting-edge design teams, such as the Dutch label Freedom of Creation, alongside pieces by fashion icons such as Elsa Schiaparelli, André Courrèges, Issey Miyake, and Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga. Fashion and Technology is organized by Ariele Elia and Emma McClendon.  Visit the Virtual Exhibition

UPCOMING EXHIBITION Retrospective  Norman Norell, dress, red wool crepe and satin, 1962, USA, gift of Claudia Halley.  May 22 - November 16, 2013 Retrospective explores fashion’s relationship with its own history. The speed of the fashion cycle is faster than ever, and yet, in the constant drive for newness, the past is often used as a point of reference. Many contemporary designers embrace looking back at fashion history as a fundamental part of the design process. In doing so, they create inventive and modern re-interpretations of everything from crinolines to “flapper” dresses. As cutting-edge designer Yohji Yamamoto once said, “Going to the future means you have to use your past.” Featuring more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles from the Museum’s permanent collection, Retrospective begins with a selection of fashions that references historical periods prior to the eighteenth century, including a 1981 gold lamé ensemble by Zandra Rhodes and a 1999 painted silk chiffon gown by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy Couture, both of which draw inspiration from sixteenth-century England. The remainder of the exhibition showcases groupings of period fashions—from 18th century to grunge—and their more recent revivals. Curated by Jennifer Farley, the exhibition also includes work by innovative designers such as Norman Norell, Yves Saint Laurent, Anna Sui, Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga, Walter Van Beirendonck, and artist Cat Chow.

LINKS WE LIKEA world of fashion is on the web Material Mode  We'd like to introduce you to the new blog for The Gladys Marcus Library's Department of Special Collections and FIT Archives. An impressive start!!!  Concept shoes  Read about shoe designer Masaya Kushino, the avant garde, Japanese designer included in our exhibitionShoe Obsession. Women in the Arts The Huffington Post asks NYC's trailblazing women (including Valerie Steele), "Who has inspired you?" Of Kors he's a hero!  SUNY alumnus Michael Kors grants $1 million to establish an FIT scholarship for a future design student. The Mending Library  Once a month San Francisco gets a free, pop-up “mending library.” Michael Swaine creates a space for “fixing the holes in our lives…to borrow thread and sewing machines and talk about life.” Got a Chuck shoe obsession?  Spin magazine asks athletes, artists, and industry insiders to share their thoughts and memories of one of the most loved shoes in the world. Shoe Obsession gets a do-over  In honor of the Museum at FIT’s show, Shoe Obsession, New York Natives chose their favorite shoe by each of the featured designers. Very clever! Westwood is still pushing the envelope  Vivienne Westwood gets all punk in her interview with the NY Times.

MUSEUM PUBLICATIONShoe Obsession Book Cover This fabulously illustrated book explores western culture's fascination with extravagant and fashionable shoes. Over the past decade, shoe design has become increasingly central to fashion, with fashion companies paying ever more attention to shoes and other accessories. High-heeled shoes, in particular, have become the fashion accessory of the 21st century. Co-written by Colleen Hill and Valerie Steele, one of the world's leading historians of fashion and an authority on fashion accessories, the book features approximately 150 pairs of the most extreme and ultra-fashionable styles of the past 12 years, including work by such prominent designers as Manolo Blahnik, Pierre Hardy, Christian Louboutin and Bruno Frisoni for Roger Vivier, as well as shoes by influential design houses such as Azzedine Alaia, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Prada. Avant-garde styles by up-and-coming designers such as Japan's Kei Kagami and Noritaka Tatehana are also highlighted.  Shoe Obsession examines recent extreme and fantastical shoe styles in relation to the history of high heels, the role of shoes as a reflection of their wearers' personality traits, and the importance of shoes in art and exhibitions. The book is lavishly illustrated with full-colour photographs of spectacular contemporary shoe designs. Available from Yale University Press

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.