REINVENTION & RESTLESSNESS: FASHION IN THE NINETIES @FIT MUSEUM

[L] Versace S/S 1994 | [M] Byron Lars coat dress, red wool crepe embroidered white damask, F/W 1993 | [R] Vivienne Westwood Fall 1996

As a 'Generation X'er,' mix tapes, a discman, slap bracelets and rollerblades are defining artifacts of my life as a 90s teenager. In the final generation before cell / smart phones, sartorial simplicity prevails in the form of overalls (with one--or both-- strap(s) down), tracksuits, spaghetti straps, slip dresses and cargo pants. Curator Colleen Hill's latest exhibit--Reinvention & Restlessness: Fashion in the Nineties--at the Museum at FIT considers the trends during "a time that was filled with hope for the future and yet fraught with anxiety...a decade that not only heralded the end of a century but also the end of a millennium" [Colleen Hill]. Keep reading for a look inside... 

FABRIC IN FASHION @FIT MUSEUM

Fabric in Fashion: [L] Bob Bugnand (1958-59) / [M] Jacques Griffe gold Lurex evening dress (1958) / [R] Christian Dior (1962) satin evening dress

Over the last 250 years, fabric in fashion evolves as a symbol of both style and status.  Definitions of class and social structure shift from emphasizing fibers and construction technique to scalability and brand recognition. Though fabric remains the foundation of fashion, its cultural significance unfolds with time. Fabric in Fashion--the latest exhibit at the Museum at FIT--analyzes the morphing role of textiles through history. Keep reading for a look inside...

WEDNESDAY WINDOW: BLACK FASHION DESIGNERS @FIT MUSEUM

[L] Patrick Kelly dress (F/W 1986) / [R] Duro Olowu ensemble (Fall 2012) at FIT's #BlackFashionDesigners exhibit ending May 2017

Adjusting to life in limbo--while on a fast train to a frightening future--has its ups and downs. Five seasons of Gossip Girl later, I'm finally securing socks + shoes at a reasonable pace and ambling towards an advanced state of lurking indoors. While unable to share street-side snaps at the moment, keep reading to see photos of the Museum at FIT's Black Fashion Designers exhibit I had neglected to post...

EXPEDITION: FASHION FROM THE EXTREME @ MUSEUM AT FIT

Shuttle Launch! Harry Gordon for pink poster dress (c.1968), UK on display at Expedition: Fashion from the Extreme @MuseumAtFIT

Over the last year, extreme shifts in politics and weather has shaped social consciousness of climate change. Similarly, everyday-wear for extreme environments has endured a fashionable facelift on account of a decades-long stylistic translation from practical to posh. Currently on show at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (MFIT), Expedition: Fashion from the Extreme reveals a notable correlation between clothing developed for survival in brutally harsh environments and the stylish, sartorial feats that have spawned since. Expedition presents 70 items grouped in 5 thematic "environments" inspired by land, sea and space. Keep reading for a glimpse inside...