Dessa vez as exposições: IMPACT e FASHION A–Z, ambas no The Museum at FIT (MFIT) fizeram a minha alegria fashionista, além de oferecem as entradas gratuitamente, a beleza da exposição me fez viajar no tempo…

The Museum at FIT

IMPACT

50 years of the council of Fashion Designers of America

“American designers have always had impact on how people dress”, frase da presidente da CFDA, Diane Von Furstenberg.

E foi para homenagear esses designers que a exposição foi criada.

1- Traina-Norell – 1958  2- Michael Kors – spring 2011  3- Trigère – 1964

1- Geoffrey Beene – spring 1990  2- Isabel Toledo – summer 1988

3- Thom Browne- winter 2008-2009  4- Norma Kamali- 2011

FASHION A–Z 

Highlights from the Collection of The Museum at FIT

Essa exposição será dividida em duas partes, a primeira que vai até o dia 08 de Maio de 2012 – apresenta 50 looks do seu acervo.

Instalações – FIT

Fotos: DQZ e Reprodução

Twiggy, Edie Sedgwick, Penelope Tree, Veruschka, and Jean Shrimpton were the poster girls of the Youthquaker movement. Youthquake was a 1960s fashion, musical and cultural movement. The term was coined by Vogue’s editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland in 1963 where teenagers dominated the fashion and music scene.

In an ode to the Youthquake movement, the museum at FIT just open their Youthquake! The 1960s Fashion Revolution exhibit. The exhibition explores the infiltration of youthquake fashion into the mass market. These young girls made designers take notice of their style and the financial and creative potential in cultivating a younger market. Très chic!

Details:
Who: The Youthquake! The 1960s Fashion Revolution Exhibit
What: Youthquakers moved through high society, fashion, art and avant-garde film circles in the 1960s
Where: The Museum at FIT- Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
Seventh Avenue at 27 Street
New York City 10001-5992
When: Now through April 7, 2012

Photo courtesy: Kyle Ericksen for wwd.com

 The Council of Fashion Designers of America is celebrating 50 years of cultivating American Fashion and putting American Fashion Designers’ work in the limelight with an exhibition debuting Friday, February 10, 2012 at the Museum of FIT.  ”Impact: Fifty Years of the CFDA” showcases collections from over 500 designers from 1962, when the CFDA was founded by Eleanor Lambert, to present day.  I know I am looking to book my ticket to pay the exhibit a look-see!

additional images of the exhibit:

A glimpse of some of the women’s wear featured including the gold billowy gown with black lace top by Oscar de la Renta‘s Spring 2012 collection…I’m obsessed.

photo courtesy: Kyle Ericksen for wwd.com

Wall of women’s wear including a Diane von Furstenberg iconic animal print wrap dress.

Photo courtesy: Kyle Ericksen for wwd.com

 A view of menswear from the exhibition.

photo courtesy: Kyle Ericksen for wwd.com

The opening wall beginning with Pauline Trigère‘s Sixties graphic coat.

photo courtesy: Kyle Ericksen

To read the full article on WWW.com, click here. (Must be a subscriber)

Running from September 17, 2011 through to January 7, 2012, this exhibition offers a glimpse into the closet of the esteemed designer, muse, model and heiress, Daphne Guinness. There are very few people in the world who collect couture in the same veracity as she who at the same time find themselves in a position to then inspire the same designers responsible for a large part of her vast collection–namely, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Nina Ricci and Rick Owens.

The exhibition itself masterfully creates an intimate runway-inspired environment for the viewer so that the (s)he can inspect every garment from every direction through dramatic spotlighting and screen partitions.  It is truly a sensory overload in the best of possible ways.

One thing to note: This, in my opinion, is an exhibit created by fashion insiders for fashion insiders–which could possibly pose as a drawback if British and French couture isn’t exactly your field of expertise. I suggest checking out recent collections from the above mentioned designers at style.com or here, with us, before making your way up to the Big Apple, as there isn’t a whole lot of descriptive text accompanying the works on view.  Nevertheless, do not let this fact deter you. This is truly a fantastic collection from a one-of-a-kind woman that is not to be missed.

Photos provided courtesy of style.com, fitnyc.edu, fashionprojects.org, and wmagazine.com
–LIZ HOFFMANN

Click here for more information.

On Wednesday September 7, 2011, The Couture Council of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology will honor Valentino with their 2011 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.  The event has become a tradition in preceding the arrival of Fall Fashion Week!

“Valentino was chosen in recognition of his status as a world-historical figure in modern fashion, a man who has dressed every beautiful woman of the past 50 years, from Jacqueline Kennedy to Madonna.  Valentino’s concept of beauty is Apollonian in its classicism and perfect taste…In today’s world of an often debased celebrity culture, Valentino’s dresses continue to assert an aristocratic ideal of art and beauty.”, said Dr. Valerie Steele, director of The Museum at FIT.

FIT president, Dr. Joyce F. Brown, noted, “We are delighted to have this opportunity to honor Valentino, who, through his timeless and elegant designs, is a legend to all those who love fashion.”

http://fitnyc.edu/10131.asp

Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style ~ Kate Betts
Thursday, May 12, 6pm
Katie Murphy Amphitheatre
Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, first floor

“Join the former editor of Time magazine’s Style and Design section Kate Betts as she presents her latest book, Everyday Icon – Michelle Obama and the Power of Style. Described by Diane von Furstenberg as “fun, informative and inspiring,” the book is an analysis of Michelle Obama’s emergence as a style icon and what it means for women, First Ladies, and the future of American style. With her unique perspective both as a journalist and a fashion industry leader, Betts takes a historical look at the influence First Ladies have had on American style and fashion. A book signing will follow!”

http://fitnyc.edu/335.asp#Everyday_Icon

photographs by Shoji Ueda

“Compared with the other Japanese designers, I have the least Japanese mentality. Of course I was born in Tokyo, live in Tokyo, and am Japanese. But I am not trying to put emphasis on “Japaneseness” in my design concepts like the other designers.”

- Takeo Kikuchi

In the early 80′s Japanese designers defined a totally new outlook on fashion and challenged Western ideas of dress and the body. Informed by their own costume history and textile traditions,  the “Japanese Invasion” revolutionized contemporary fashion. Japan Fashion Now, an exhibit by Valerie Steele at the museum at FIT, seeks to define this dynamic as it exists today.

Takeo Kikuchi, the designer who initially ran the label Men’s Bigi and (after losing it to his wife in a nasty divorce) an eponymous line, is one of few designers whose supposed Japanese-ness comes completely from his immersion in contemporary European dress. Unlike Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, or Rei Kawakubo, Takeo did not use traditional Japanese clothes-making as a means of reworking Western attitudes towards the body and aesthetics. Instead, Kikuchi assimilated them and interpreted them for what he perceived to be a universally appealing classicism. To a Japanese audience, subtly subverted looks of Saville Row tailoring and western masculine archetypes were just as exciting as Kawakubo’s “Hiroshima Chic” in Paris. Kikuchi is not present in Japan Fashion Now along with other designers whose work seem to defy conventions of Japanese-ness rooted in kimonos and “Kawaii” culture. But, his way of designing into Japanese tastes with a strictly Western vocabulary has laid the groundwork for many designers, Japanese or otherwise, in an increasingly global world.

Age 6. Dear Japanese drag queens in rainbow-colored, over-the-knee suede boots in the Gay Pride Day parade…I was eye-level with the top of your swagger boots, mesmerized and vowing to grow up just like you.

Age 16. Dear Leigh Bowery, You will always be one of my first Harujaku lovers. Your i-D magazine covers kept my imagination alive after my first trip to London at age 16, whilst I bore my last two years of high school, in 6-inch platforms, Selfridge’s head to toe and lots of attitude.

Age 26. Dear Madame Butterfly. A hello to a Japanese girl in a hot-pink, long and very furry silk suit began our design collaboration through the 80’s and 90′s, which included dresses for the Cannes-bound starlet posse traveling with Chosei of the Plasmatics for his movie, “Tokyo Decadence.”

Age 36. Dear Ex-Boyfriend The Biologist, although I loved our modern Shinto-style solar-house, your big black Ford pick-up truck and our crunchy organic, Led-Zepplin-as-muse life, I missed the colorful people of New York City, but thank you, because I am forever…a Forest Girl at heart.

Ageless Pucks and Lolitas throng in Japan’s urban streets, Masters and Mistresses of trans-culture migration playing grab bag with time-based mythical expressions of style, they invent themselves to become Living Dolls who tell new stories. The Harajuki and Shibuya street-fashion cultures of Japan are one of the world’s most fertile style petri dishes as seen in FIT’s latest juicy and extensive exhibit, Japan Fashion Now, extended until April 2011, in New York City.

Herewith, the latest Street Heroines and Heroes of transformation in Japan and how these same archetypes play in America’s streets, celebrity rags and fashion tribes. The amateur mythologist that I am, is fascinated by the linguistic weaving of the word “anima” for soul and life, the animistic nature worship of Japan’s Shintoism religion’s influence on anime and the dressing in costume on the street like animated characters, called Cosplay. The Japanese word manga, literally translated, means “whimsical pictures.” For the Eastern animated-take, I’ve added the hottest words from manga in bold and anime plot synopsis in Engrish, in color text.

In honor of the Speed Tribes lineage, bikers whose Kamikaze motorcycle suits were at the root of Japan’s expressive street styles and a nod to racy style in the West, I’ve asked my favorite American Original-style, Nature-Worshipping Symbolist and avid motorcyclist, Avia Venefica to give us the Timeless Mythical Roots and Connect for these attitudes and styles. A black-leather clad Goddess with spiky hair dispensing the eternal wisdom of the mystical, who, of course, lives in upstate New York somewhere…she surprised me and went hog-wild, speaking in the original tongue of these myths!  (In Italics) (Bonus! Everywhere! Learn Japanese! Emporium and Reign of Sensory Overload About To Begin!)

GALISM     bijin- a beautiful woman. In terms of frequency and usage, it’s best likened to “babe.”

Galism is relatively new to the streets and I love it for its right-on pantomime of US girls..seen anyday in Soho or Rodeo Drive or that…whatever it’s called…that blingy LA mall. The name and look is based on the anime story, which is best described in Engrish…Japanese English.

Put Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton and everyone’s pretty Prom Queens on steroids, into that real or fake Chanel bag called Galism. These gals are always in trouble but always shopping so its OK, smile. Love Supreme Sisters.

In the linage of the Sisters Pleiades…here’s Avia!…

All ears open to us now, as we pour our youthful inspirations into your listening canals until overflowing.  We are the Mousai Apollonides; the giggly girls born to Zeus and Mnemosyne of ancient Greece.  We three are drawn together for the sake of invigorating you down to your oogety boogety furry Ugg boots.  In sisterhood we frolic with abandon.  We know no fear in our self-expression because we are united. Our collective force is jump jiving, we got game. Watch us. You get game too.

GRIMOIRE   mahou- magic, magic spell.

On a trip last year to Ellis Island, the gateway island welcoming migrating refugees from the World Wars from Eastern Europe, I fell in love with the exhibit of clothing, housewares, embroidered linens and garments, books and ephemera of my Russian, Luxemburgian and Romanian ancestors and the villagers with whom they packed their lives into trunks, crammed unto ships and voyaged to A New Land. The name Grimoire means Storybook or Spellbook, and the look is Folkloric Fantasy with Dolly Kei plus Mori meets Harry Potter. Look here for picture-book images of the namesake headquarters, the Grimoire store, located in Shibuya, began by one costume-history student, which has turned Grimoire into a trend.  The Grimoire shop site and blog has in-depth inspirational sources from the travels of the three owners shown above.

The trends become the fodder of commercialism, quickly spawning shops, clothing lines and even TV commercials picking up the elaborate hairstyles, making up new trend names to sell anything…not too different than Western athletes selling car insurance, sneakers or Foreman grills.

Shakugan no Shana S. Plot Summary: While searching through the hunters nest for a particular treasure, Shana and Yuji encounter some unforeseen difficulty when their minds end up being switched into each others’ bodies, due to the effect of Friagne’s treasure device. They try to overcome the situation secretly, but…

Grimoire! Ascend! to my heavens and let me wrap you and your imagination in the timeless vintage of starlight.  I am Ishtar of ancient Mesopotamia, and my power pulsates to voluptuous Venusian vibes.  Blow off the dust particles, crack the spine of my leather-bound, golden-paged ancient grimoire spell book- you know the one – Ishtar’s Cookbook; replete with recipes for concocting your own vintage vivaciousness.  Dance wildly in my veils of colors. Adorn and Pose yourself with my precious planetary gems and shimmery golds.

MORI  森 (mori) means forest.

Kaori Shoji, in the New York Times article from February, “The Cult of the Living Doll in Tokyo,” speaks about the contrast between “Mori,” or Forest Girls, who have their own Manifesto declaring themselves chaste, thoughtful and Self-Realized and the “Ageha,” or swallowtail butterfly girls who look like blow-up dolls. The styles morph with individuals, but the Morigirl blogs, thinks, writes, ponders like their Anthropologie sisters on Western misty shores.

“Forest girls are wary of all forms of aggression or self-assertiveness. They’re just too fragile, or they would like to be that way.”

“They don’t want to live so much as to exist, preferably on a metaphysical level.” adds Midori Yokokawa, an editor at the fashion magazine Forest Girl. Aesthetic Lolita blogger, Sniper Nyan, sums up her style, a morphing of the etheric Mori Girl when she meets Grimoire with her music taste, “One of my favorite bands of all time ever, Аркона, is a Slavic pagan folk metal band. Their lead singer, Masha, routinely poses in the carcasses of slaughtered foxes and sometimes carries these epic ancient swords in snowy forests and yeah, I would probably go gay for her in about five seconds.”

Miyori no Mori Plot Summary: After being deserted by her parents, 11-year old Miyori shuts her heart from the rest of the world and denies any form of human relationships. She was entrusted in the care of her grandmother who lives near a forest. Miyori will take a walk in the forest where she felt a strong sense of loneliness in the forest which seems to have nothing. However, she soon encounters unbelievable things and gradually realizes that the forest is more than what it seems.

Intellectual jazzy music may be as sexy as it gets for Morigirl…since most of the animals are fur pieces or hidden deep within Sensitive Mori girl skirts. The closest American girls get is the Boho Chic Goddess look care of the Olsen twins, a wee bit woodsy, all schlumpy and introspectively Starbucks caffienated.

Squint your eyes and peek between my erect arboreal armies.  Can you see my soft does eyes?  I am nestled thoughtfully amongst my legions – forested trees, attentive blades of grass and softly shifting soil.  I am Mari, the great and wild goddess of Basque.  My ways are simple. Do you see how I transform with Nature’s visage?  Shapeshifting is fashion’s highest attainment.  Dive into my Natural realm and find yourself transmogrified – you and I are rivers carving through the face of the world.  We are arboreal allies, tap-rooted in solidarity.  We are rainbows poised to moistly kiss our Earth.

GOTHIC LOLITA   Kowaii! translated as either “Scary thought!” or “I’m scared!,” depending on the context.

Gothic, Rock-it, Punks, Dreads, Gothloli…to rage against the machine is to push its symbols into realms where sacred and scared are re-ordered for fun, shock, schlock, rock and even marketing strategies to sell more Hello Kitty dolls.

Some say the band, Malice Mizer’s operatic gothic tech view from underneath the ground was a launching point for the lifestyle.

The pop singers Hangry and Angry that the Japan Fashion Now exhibit curator, Valerie Steele, chose to represent as an expression of the style, are a total marketer’s fabrication, as the band serves to sell toys and products even with their own namesake store…and yes, they did collaborate with Hello Kitty. Their own plot summary is that they come from the H44 Star Nebula in order to save the world from global warming. They arrived in the present in their time machine dubbed “LOVE MACHINE.”

New York and the international fashion world is full of gothic rock takes from Diane Pernet, with her “Shaded View on Fashion” to a Let’s-Play-Dress-Up downtown culture alive and well, as evidenced by the Paper magazine anniversary party I went to earlier in the year hosted by Lady Fag.  Downtown NYC will always breed rare beauties like my friends, The Blonds to Lady Gaga, (who still shows up at the local downtown NY bars where she found her fame) to next-uppers like my friend, designer, Mario Barton…one in a million, but one of millions of underworld Persephones, flinging open their closets, dressing up and turning the Star Light of mobile and video cams onto themselves and the rest of the world.

In gorgeous Goth and the latest expressions of its style, legends rule and a perfect marriage is here as Lady Fag stars as the Russian Imperial daughter Anastasia, (one meaning of her name is “the breaker of chains” or “the prison opener” in this movie.)

Kamikaze Girls Plot Summary: Momoko is a girl who cares for nothing but frilly lace dresses and wishes she was in 18th century rococco France rather than dorky Shimotsuma. It’s a backwater to which her Yakuza father has fled, and populated by small towners with no sense for elegant fashion. What can a girl do but dismiss everybody around her as not worthy and instead indulge her whims in Tokyo’s specialty stores… Then biker girl Ichiko arrives like a barbarian at the gate and does her confused best to turn Momoko’s life upside down. Despite professed indifference both are curious about, even a bit jealous of, the other’s lifestyle. Slowly a bond starts to form between them but when tested it is less than clear if it has grown strong enough to tear down Momoko’s frilly fence.

Hide your apathy and lukewarm nonsense from us.  We amputate the trite and uninteresting at the knees.  We are Valkyries, goddess governors of both the battlefield and Valhalla.  We see righteous fairness within the folds of darkness, where others know only fear.  This is a one-time invitation only (and we are exceedingly picky about whom we select) to join us in dark fury.  Don the shadowy shroud and fly into the black hearts of men.  Obliterate the unworthiness and base boringness from their black, unbeating hearts.  Join us, the royal Valkyries as we partake in penetrating pleasures of releasing mankind from all his one-dimensional tripe, and inject electric quickening into his soul.

SWEET LOLITA, DOLLY KEI kawaii- cute. More than a mere adjective, kawaii qualifies as an aesthetic and an obsession in Japan

Growing up, my sister and I had three resplendent and intricate Geisha Doll figurines which always were kept on the highest shelves while we gave bad haircuts to our Barbies before forcing them into sex with Ken on the floor of our bedrooms. As hot and passionate sex with Ken was, the folded newspapers in the inside of the fanny-pack of her kimono and the shellaced hair and hair combs of my Geisha dolls is what really captivated me.

Antique Dolly Kei or Sweet Lolita style, can be a morph of Lolita, Visual, Dolly Kei or Grimoire, but a highlight is to render adults into mythical, forever-a-child status. Peter Pan and Wendy are welcome here. The root is undeniably the Geisha tradition, with its choreography, tea ceremonies, make-up and mystical details which paints-on youth, beauty and life as preciousness and unbreakable. Cute.

Lyn Yaeger, New York journalist, was one of the originators of this style. Seeing her on the street is like a kawaii flash vision of the Yeti, she so exists in her own pool of existence and power.

I took this picture of my friend, Tziporah Salamon, a much-photographed NYC Style Icon, dressed perfectly, about to hop on her bike and take her soiled garments to her Chinese Laundry.

Way back when, when Project Runway was pre-zygote stage, I ripped out a street style image from Time Out magazine of the then-unknown Austin Scarlett, wearing a huge fur bonnet, a Barbie hatbox as a purse and a folkloric sweater posing like Rita Hayworth. A doll-like icon then, his porcelain skin is key to his look and his sweet gentlemanly ways reveal that the outside is not artifice, even now as a recognizable personality. Raise the eyebrow and ditto the sweetness in person for Icon Patrick McDonald, a true warrior of Dandy-style, comparable to Doll-style in Japan, equalling largesse of whimsy, originality, character and grace in New York.

Zhinu is the name, Love is the loom upon which I spin diaphanous threads for the finest garments.  I am ü, the immortal Weaver Girl of the Silver River.  My fingertips fastidiously weave together fibers of bright adoration.  I craft infinite love in every stitch.  My weaving is my heart’s passion, second only to the love of my Herdsman.  I spin and mix divine threads for clothing while channeling my supreme love as I wait for the seventh day of the seventh month to be reunited with my true lover, Ni Lang.  Before and after that sublime moment of union, you can find me winking back at you from the Vega star, cheerfully weaving layers of love into every warp and weft of your robes.  My ardor sustains my youth.  My craft insures my immortality. My beloved herdsman feeds inspiration to my cloth-creations.

PRINCESS LOLITA     hime- princess.

Steel Angel Kurumi Plot Summary: The story follows a young boy named Nakahito Kagura. He is pushed by a group of classmates to go into a house rumored to belong to a mad scientist. Inside, he comes across what seems to be a life-like doll. At the same time, the Japanese Army carries out an attack on the house. During the attack the “doll” falls over and Nakahito accidentally kisses it, causing it to awaken. The doll turns out to be the Steel Angel Kurumi, who is being hunted by the military for mysterious reasons.

Japan’s sugar pop, fluffy yet tightly laced princesses may parade higher hair, a thousand more frothy layers, while their cousins, the Western virgins, oops versions, are more fantasy send-ups of a Degas ballerina. New Yorkers, Tinsley Mortimer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Beyonce and Paris’s Lou Doillon play Princess with sheerness, fur, shine, lots of skin and smiles for the cameras for their You-Can’t-Touch-This doll personas.

Aloha, I am Hina, princess goddess of the Pacific seas.  Enter into my Oceanic mysteries for rich illumination.  My journeys have revealed the banalities of existence.  Men have relentlessly pursued me for a mere moment to taste my skin and enter my holy, feminine gardens.  How carnal.  How base.  Slip off the shabby clothing of carnal trash and cheap gratification.  Don the regal garments of Moonlit enlightenment.  Ascend with me beyond common ground, Life is meant to tickle from tip to toe. Dip your rouged tootsies in my twilight raiments. Step into my lofty layers. Topple me with your luminous laughter and I shall embrace in luxurious delights.

CEREBRAL CONSTRUCTIVISTS   totemo- very, extremely. pronounced tottemo to indicate extra enthusiasm

Perhaps the most commercial of all, Rei Kawakubo’s Comme in the Black Empire, Comme des Garcons, was worth about $4.7 million in 2008. In Japan Fashion Now, FIT’s Valerie Steele put on a historic parade of the Pre and De-Constructivist pillars of Japanese fashion, every piece a wearable classic. The conversation between runway and street may yet be in sync, but for me, I can see myself in Tao Kurihara’s history of costume encompassing statements of flesh and fancy paired with Pumas for a jaunt to the supermarket, my personal best version of Cosplay as a 21st century Geisha.

Women playing with the fashion constraints of men deconstructs beyond a mere gender switch and bequeaths the wearer membership in a style tribe of Intelligensi who extend the conversation of the age. Of Yohji Yamamoto, Julie Gilhart, fashion director of Barneys New York, once said that he is ”probably the only designer you could name who has 60-year-olds who think he’s incredible and 17-year-olds who think he’s way cool.”

Stairway to the Stars in this realm for me includes Reigning Originals such as Isabella Blow and Alexander McQueen, who crafted the armor of story and myth to new realms of power and possibility.

Saint Seiya Plot Summary: is series of group of five mystical warriors called ‘Saints’ who have star constellations as totems of power, taking place in the XVIII century, 250 years before original manga. Tenma, the Pegasus Saint and his beloved friend, Alone, who would eventually become his greatest enemy, Hades, are given the task to protect Saori Kido, reincarnation of Athena (the goddess of wisdom and war), and to fight against evil forces.  In Saint Seiya, warriors wear different armours fashioned by smiths working for competing Gods, to be used by their own warriors to defend themselves or attempt to conquer the domain of other Gods: Stronger than normal armour made of regular metals, and, if wearer has lucky awakened the cosmic energy, it serves to amplify it several times over.

For those individuals with quiet power and the mythical sensitivities such as Ophelia, Lady Shallot and the Isabella Blows..the armor of the Tottemmo! Designers is a choice that evolves humanity.

Take heed.  Only those of keen wit can follow in my stiletto steps.  I am the weaver of white-webbed knowledge, lacing every iota of life.  Some know me as the Thinker.  Others know me as the Creatrix.  My children of the Pueblo and Navajo call me Spider Woman, and I rather like that title. Take in my visage – I am both dark and light.  Cagey and bright.  Replete with both fright and delight.  There is no end to the sides I show.  If I keep you guessing, it’s your own damn fault, if my intelligence intimidates you… I shall devour you and use your bones for a toothpick.  But if you amuse me, I’ll wrap you up in an afternoon of ravishing; seducing you with cerebral brilliance.”

The FIT Japan Fashion Now exhibit guard said, “No pictures allowed”…but please forgive me!  Style happens every minute in the real world with personal, tangible expression…and how could I really not preserve this ephemeral, “whimsical picture” moment for myself and for you, my blog readers, Japan Fashion Now…right outside the exhibit? Kawaaiiii!

But what I liked the most was this sign.
See that sentence at the bottom?  Yes, the last one that says, “Gift of Daphne Guinness”.  There were two of these but the guard stopped me before I could take a picture of the second one.

Daphne Guinness donates to FIT, to my school, to my institute of higher learning.

She is one of my fashion icons. Period.

And it gets even better than this.  The Fall 2011 exhibit at FIT is going to be Daphne Guinness’s couture collection.  I died a little when I heard this (in a good way).

I think it is so unbelievably generous of her to show her world renowned closet to the world.  One that she has been building for decades.  One filled with Alexander McQueen originals and Chanel and Vivienne Westwood…

Just one more reason to look forward to next Fall.

NOIR, multilayered evening gown, Illuminati II cotton and silver studded leather, fall 2010, Denmark, gift of Noir/In Darkness All Colors Agree.

Featuring more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles from the mid-18th century to the present, Eco-Fashion examines both positive and negative environmental practices over the past two centuries, providing historical context for today’s sustainable fashion movement. Presented chronologically, the exhibition emphasizes how each stage of fashion production—from fibre to finished garment—has environmental consequences. It also highlights the increasing commitment of both contemporary designers and consumers to meet these environmental challenges, in a conscious effort to minimize harmful impacts.

The garments and objects exemplify at least one of six major themes:

• the repurposing and recycling of materials
• material origins
• textile dyeing and production
• quality of craftsmanship
• labour practices
• the treatment of animals

To read in further detail about these themes and more, see the official press release.

Since garments with lasting value are integral to today’s sustainable fashion movement, an 18th-century silk brocade gown will act as a chronological starting point for the exhibition. Historically, silk was painstakingly woven on hand looms, making it costly and complex to manufacture, and weavers were esteemed for their artisanal skills. As a result, silk garments incorporating handcraftsmanship were often cherished for their beauty and quality.

Other exciting pieces on display include a 1990′s Maison Margiela jacket created entirely out of re-purposed silk scarves, a man’s suit made in 1960 from the reverse side of a paisley shawl and a meticulously crafted, made-to-order 1950′s cocktail dress by famed Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga.

Pieces from today’s up and coming ethical fashion labels showcase the likes of Launderette favourites Ciel, NOIR and Bodkin as well as Edun, Linda Loudermilk, Norway’s FIN and cruelty-free shoe collection from Charmoné.

Charmoné, Cezanne pump, tan and red microfiber faux leather, 2010, USA, gift of Lauren Carroll and Jodi Koskella of Charmoné.

Eco-Fashion: Going Green has been organized by Jennifer Farley and Colleen Hill, along with Tiffany Webber. The exhibition will be on view from 26 May 2010 through 13 November 2010 in the Fashion and Textile History Gallery at The Museum at FIT – 7th Ave at 27th Street NYC 10001-5902, Tue-Fri 12pm-8pm; Sat 10am-5pm.

Go check this excellent exhibition out and get yourself on board with the growing ethical fashion movement.

Yesterday The Couture Council of The Museum at FIT honored Dries van Noten with their 2009 Award for Artistry of Fashion.  The benefit luncheon was held at Cipriani 42 Street, and it was a great way to kick off New York Fashion Week.

Simon Doonan, creative director for Barneys New York, emceed the event — a perfect choice.  Not just for his dashing sense of humor, but also because Dries van Noten has sold at Barneys for twenty years.  That’s a major retail milestone for the Belgian designer  — and a testament to Barneys’ eye for original and innovative design.

Dries van Noten and Susan

Dries van Noten and Maggie Gyllenhaal

Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal presented the award to Dries.  She gave a touching introduction.  Though she does not regard herself a fashionista, she said, Dries has created many special dresses for her over the years — not least of which was her wedding gown this past summer.  The famously shy designer accepted his award with great aplomb.  He’s a man of few but meaningful words — always letting his dynamic, colorful work speak for itself — and he kept it short and sweet.

Susan with Valerie Steele

Valerie Steele, chief curator of The Museum at FIT, put together a beautiful video compilation of Dries van Noten’s runway collections from the past twenty years.  I mentioned it recently when I interviewed Valerie, but all of her presentations are so thorough and exquisitely done.  This event was no exception.

Glenda Bailey and Susan

Daphne Guinness and Valerie Steele

Fe Fendi and Susan

Iman and Susan

It was a full house, with plenty of major fashion figures in attendance.  I said hello to Glenda Bailey, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, Daphne Guinness, and chairpersons Sarah Wolfe, Yaz Hernandez and Liz Peek.  My good friends Fe Fendi and Michele Gerber Klein attended — both of whom are on my International Chic List.  Iman was there; she is the quintessence of Chic Over 40 — and the star of this past year’s Costume Institute Gala as far as I’m concerned!  Also in attendance were Isabel Toledo, whose marvelous work is showing at FIT and Diane Von Furstenberg, looking amazing as always.  Of course, it’s always great catching up with Hamish Bowles, my co-chair for the Valentina exhibit earlier this year.  He debuted a new mustached look for the occasion!

Hamish Bowles and Susan

Michele Gerber Klein and Susan

It was a really lovely afternoon and a great way to not only honor Dries’s creative contributions, but to support the Museum at FIT and all the work they do.

Dr. Joyce Brown and Susan

Susan with designer Tiffany Koury

- photos by Michael N. Todaro

I first met Valerie Steele several years ago, when she spoke at a fashion conference I was attending.   As the director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT, her presentation was thorough and informative but also very entertaining.  She really wowed the crowd.  I would see Valerie at various events in Paris and New York and I became more familiar with her work.  She’s written over ten books, organized a number of major exhibitions, and founded the Couture Council – a membership group of fashion enthusiasts that supports exhibitions and programs at the Museum.

Every year, the Couture Council presents an award for Artistry of Fashion to a selected designer.  I attended the award luncheon for Alber Elbaz of Lanvin two years ago, and it was wonderful — great crowd (including Demi Moore, Iman, Linda Evangelista, Chloe Sevigny, and Simon Doonan) and a really touching moment in the designer’s career.  I’m excited to attend this year’s luncheon honoring Dries van Noten on September 9th, and I thought it’d be a great time to check in with Valerie and interview her about all of the things she’s got going on.

We met at her office and discussed her entrance to fashion, her work at The Museum at FIT and the Couture Council luncheon on September 9th.  Then we toured the Special Exhibition Gallery within the museum, where two must-see shows are running right now.  Fashion & Politics is an exploration of more than 200 years of politics as expressed through fashion, and then, of course, there is the Isabel Toledo exhibit.  I mentioned Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out a few months ago, and I have to say it again: this exhibition is incredible.  Click above to watch my interview with Valerie and her guided tour through these two spectacular shows at the Museum at FIT.

Fashion designer Isabel Toledo has been getting a lot of press these days, stemming from the lemongrass brocade coat and dress that Michelle Obama wore to her husband’s inauguration. But her greatest triumphs as a designer are relatively unknown to the general public.

In her latest exhibition at the Museum at FIT in New York City, “Fashion From the Inside Out”, Ms. Toledo shares a retrospective of her work dating back to the mid ‘80’s.

The show is organized around specific themes:

“Origami” features garments that began as simple shapes and were then folded to create a sculptural effect. “Suspension” highlights jersey and taffeta dresses that are suspended from thin cords of fabric. “Shadow” is a grouping of items that focus on the play of transparent and opaque fabrics. “Liquid Architecture” features jersey dresses that drape effortlessly into soft folds, and “Shape” exemplifies the sculptural qualities that are so prevalent in Toledo’s work. “Manipulated Surfaces” examines complex constructions, and “Organic Geometry” highlights Toledo’s geometric forms.

Ms. Toledo’s clothing, are true works of art, and have a unique yet timeless quality to them. Her exquisite fabric manipulations and sculptural qualities make these pieces extraordinary.

In a world where designers are playing it safe, and retailers are void of originality, Isabel Toledo’s perspective is refreshing and inspiring.

photo: William Palmer, William Palmer, Karen L. Willis

Isabel Toledo

“Fashion From the Inside Out”

June 17- September 26 2009

The Museum at FIT

Seventh Avenue and 27^th Street

Last night, The Museum at FIT celebrated the opening of Isabel Toledo: Fashion From the Inside Out, a mid-career retrospective of the designer’s work from the 1980s to present.  I was traveling home from Monaco, so unfortunately I could not attend.  Contributing writer Rebecca Prusinowski stopped by, however, and has reported below on my behalf.  The exhibition sounds really wonderful.  Curators Valerie Steele and Patricia Mears always do a beautiful job, so I will be sure to visit upon my return to New York…

There was frenetic activity (and cases of empty wine bottles) in the lobby of The Museum at FIT last night.  Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo and her husband Ruben were busy greeting and posing with an endless throng of industry well-wishers.  Isabel has quietly produced some of fashion’s most innovative — and wearable — designs for the past two decades.  The retrospective at FIT highlighted her unique creative vision with a display of 70 looks from over the years.

Located downstairs from the party, the exhibition began with a glossy timeline, charting the evolution of Toledo’s work from 1985 onward.  It included shots from her first plaid collection and magazine spreads to the iconic image of First Lady Michelle Obama wearing Toledo’s designs at this year’s Presidential Inauguration.  “The dress” stands front and center, and will be shipped off to the Smithsonian when the show closes in September.

Walking the exhibition, it is extraordinary to observe how different each of Toledo’s collections can be.  The Museum showcases the broad and beautiful array of Toledo’s experiments with shape, texture, color and technique.  The gorgeous Wave dresses made of eggplant and charcoal silk taffeta (Spring/Summer 2006) are a world away from the Caterpillar dress in black rayon jersey (Spring/Summer 1998).  Much of her work, like the Armor Trench Coat in a dazzling silver and black acetate silk (from Fall/Winter 2004), seems ahead of its time.

Above all, Toledo’s love for creating and her commitment to craftsmanship are evident.  In the program, she notes, “I’m a seamstress.  The seamstress is the one who views fashion from the inside!  That’s the art form, really — the technique of how it’s done.”  From the gorgeous watercolor murals by Ruben Toledo surrounding the perimeter of the exhibition space to the detailed synopses of the designer’s work, FIT has done an excellent job of presenting this art form.

Photo credit: Style.com
Christian Louboutin’s Spring Python platform pumps with front ruffle detail made me pee in pants a bit. No pain no gain for the price we pay for beauty…right? These Louboutin’s for Rodarte shoes are readily available @ http://www.net-a-porter.com
And in the spirit of Hollows Eve treat yourself to exhibit titled Gothic Dark Glamour running thru February 21, 2009 @ The Museum at FIT http://www3.fitnyc.edu/museum/gothic/home.html

Dixie

I went to the Museum at FIT to see the exhibit Gothic: Dark Glamour, which is supposedly the first exhibit dedicated to gothic fashion.
I knew the origins of gothic literature but not where gothic fashion sprang from. The exhibit begins with a few Victorian mourning dresses on incredibly small mannequins. The women then apparently weren’t any more than five feet tall with small sloping shoulders and tiny bird bones tightly corseted together. Huge veils and hats topped the outfits like exotic plummage with a swisthing bustle in back, which I imagine made a similar sound to that of pleather. There was a cult of mourning among young widows where the women weren’t allowed to wear anything but black for a year and then gradually could expand their wardrobes to include violets and grays. This cult of mourning was only available to the well-to-do widows–as my friend Susan says, “Goth is expensive”–but I like it that these young ladies were able to find a solidarity in death. And I don’t think it was trivial that they expressed this idea through fashion.

My favorite pieces of the exhibit are two dresses from Rodarte. A sister duo are behind Rodarte, which has grown incredibly popular in the last two years. There was a great article about the team in The New York Times Magazine a few weeks ago, and the sisters seem like such innocent, unassuming creatures compared to fashion divas like Karl Lagerfeld and Donatella Versace. They remind me of the siblings from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, communicating in a secret, psychic language that only they can understand.

Congratulating Alber Elbaz

Am I in Paris or New York?  After moving to New York in 1985 with only $800 to his name, Alber Elbaz began working as an assistant to designer Geoffrey Beene. Twenty-two years later, he is the chief designer for the House of Lanvin and is at the top of his game. This has been a watershed year for Elbaz. He created a couture diamond ring for Van Cleef & Arpels (see my post: Van Cleef & Arpels in New York: Une Journée à Paris), got pinned with France’s prestigious Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, joined the TIME 100 Club (with an accompanying profile by Natalie Portman), and is now prepping for his Fashion Group International Award in October. Long gone are the days of 1985…

With Demi Moore at the Couture Council Luncheon

Yesterday, lovely, adoring Lanvin devotees and yours truly gathered in New York at the Rainbow Room to witness another wonderful tribute to Alber by FIT’s Couture Council. The event was touching and fun, attended by a notable fanclub which included, among others, Demi Moore. We had a few moments to catch up about our kids, yoga (we met on a Rodney Yee yoga retreat at the Parrot Cay) and balancing our lives between work and children.  Iman, Linda Evangelista and Chloe Sevigny were also in attendance and had the honor of giving away the door prizes. It was great to see each of them.

Linda Evangelista and Susan

Iman                                                  Chloe Sevigny

Simon Doonan

Glenda Bailey

Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York, was engaging and witty as master of ceremonies and Glenda Bailey, Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar, delivered a touching introduction of Alber…

Alber Elbaz

When Alber went up to the podium, I couldn’t imagine the emotions that were running through his body. His speech was so moving and so on point. As he was speaking I found myself nodding my head “yes” to his every word. I so related to what he said about women and fashion. He spoke about how Chanel gave women freedom and how Yves Saint Laurent gave women power. But for Alber it is all about seeing the strength in a woman. Maybe that’s why he is the perfect designer for me.

I am often asked: what is the difference between the French and American woman? When posed with the same question, Elbaz’ definition was definitely one with which I identified. He noted that fashion is not global – it is universal – and that there is no difference between French and American women. We are all alike with respect to the idea that we are expected to be perfect in every aspect of our lives: as mothers, as daughters, as businesswomen… all at the same time!

He spoke about a woman’s age and he mused that a woman at 70 can look as if she is 40… and a girl of 18 can look 35 – so what does age have to do with fashion? When Alber goes to the drawing table and begins to design, he first sees the dress. After the collection is finished and he gets to see women from all over the world in his creations, he realizes that they all look different. He sees their individual faces and beauty – not the dress. He sees the woman. It is ultimately about the individual – and this is MY raison d’être as well. What is important is for you to feel good about YOU, to be who you are and to enjoy life. While his garments may be expensive – he is creating a dream, and dreams can be had by all.

The Rainbow Room

Fabiola Beracasa and Linda Fargo Rosemary Ponzo and Iris Barrel Apfel

Left Photo: Becca Cason Thrash, Blaine Trump and Cece Kieselstein-Cord
Right Photo: Michele Herbert and Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos

It was also great to see Kim Hastreiter, Editor in Chief of Paper, who was sitting at my table.

The event was concluded with a raffle prize of three necklaces, presented by Chloe, Iman, and Linda. The final winner just happened to be a man – the irony of which wasn’t lost on me. It was a surprising and amusing conclusion to an event which was no less original than Alber Elbaz, himself.

Last night I attended the opening of FIT’s exhibition Ralph Rucci: The Art of Weightlessness, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Ralph Rucci’s designs.  I met Ralph several years at a conference here in New York. He was a guest speaker – gave a talk, showed some slides … I really didn’t know much about him. He told me he was showing at the Haute Couture in Paris. Since I was on my way to Paris, I went to Ralph’s show at the Ritz Hotel.

I was truly transported then as I was last night at FIT curator Valerie Steele’s show. It was a magical feast for the eyes, Ralph is more than a designer, he is an artist of fabric and form. I couldn’t absorb it all.  First of all there were so many elegant women dressed in Ralph’s entrance-making, breath-taking clothes, I didn’t know where to look first. Two stand-outs were Valerie Steele herself, resplendent in bright green with watercolor detailing and Amy Fine Collins in a black crocodile bodice with a shimmering skirt of black paillettes.

Then, this is a designer who follows cultural trends but with that he has a clarity in his mind about his work founded in his approach to his craft as an artist not just a designer. Ralph raises the standard of excellence in his field without being manipulated by what is depicted in advertisements and popular conceptions of beauty. He is a leader and not a follower who has stuck to his basic themes over the years using only the best fabrics. His inspiration grows, his art sets him apart from the rest.  Finally now, after 25 years Ralph is getting the attention he deserves. For the modern elegant woman – he is it!!!

I spoke with so many of the style world’s most iconic fans of Ralph who were in attendance, from the beaming and happy Martha Stewart to Ike Ude, the publisher of aRUDE magazine who is collaborating on a book with Ralph.

Some of the other glamorous women who attended, many bedecked and bejeweled in Ralph’s creations, included Tatiania Sorokko, Denise Hale, Amy Fine Collins, Marjorie Fisher, and Georgette Mossbacher, Charlotte Moss, Casey Ribicoff, Deeda Blair, Iris Apfel and so many others.

Don’t miss this stellar exhibit of an American Master of Couture.

Ralph Rucci: The Art of Weightlessness

The Museum at FIT

January 12 – April 14, 2007