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I'm totally wearing out the museum circuit, am i not? Thing is, i'm on call for tech on Hamlet, which means i go in every morning and work til notes are done. It could be a couple hours' work, a half-day, a full day's work, a full day plus overtime, i never know til i get there.
On the short days, there's no reason not to find something cool to do before heading home; yesterday, that thing was checking out the current exhibit at the Museum at FIT, Arbiters of Style: Women at the Forefront of Fashion.
The exhibit was sort of loosely structured around the concept of the fashion maven or the "tastemaker"--the working definition for the purposes of the exhibit was fluid, sometimes meaning designers or couturieres, other times meaning socialites who led trends, or fashion magazine writers or editors, or women who functioned as "muse" or a foremost patron to a male fashion designer.
The exhibits range in eras of time--from the 18th century to the present--and focus on styles popularized by everyone from Empress Eugenie to Jane Holzer. Not only do they present antique and vintage pieces on mannequins, but the displays also feature accessories like shoes and hats and jewelry, textiles and table linens, a sample book of ribbons, fashion and costume design renderings, photos, etc. There are even a couple of muslin mock-ups on forms in the lobby of fashions featured inside the exhibit!
For me, here were some of the highlights: an amazing hand-painted floral satin from the 18th century, a red velvet bonnet by the Harris Sisters featuring tiny insects made of beads, three amazing Caroline Reboux cloches, and a 1940s "milliner's hat" by Hattie Carnegie that featured miniature felt hats as part of its trim! I of course enjoyed the dozens and dozens of ensembles as well, but i tend to focus and remember the things that pertain to my field primarily. Clothing-wise, i loved a Vivienne Westwood assymetrical plaid jacket, a Caroline Herrerra striped silk evening gown, and several of their antique pieces which featured placards describing some "fashion archaological discoveries", how the dresses had obviously been made over several times to conform to changing styles (in one, a bustle had become added sleeve poufs for the leg-o-mutton shape, and in another, sleeve ruffles had been removed and the bodice turned back-to-front).
Add this to the ongoing list of cool free stuff to do in NYC as well--there is no admission fee to the Museum at FIT, and they change over their offerings every few months.
On the short days, there's no reason not to find something cool to do before heading home; yesterday, that thing was checking out the current exhibit at the Museum at FIT, Arbiters of Style: Women at the Forefront of Fashion.
The exhibit was sort of loosely structured around the concept of the fashion maven or the "tastemaker"--the working definition for the purposes of the exhibit was fluid, sometimes meaning designers or couturieres, other times meaning socialites who led trends, or fashion magazine writers or editors, or women who functioned as "muse" or a foremost patron to a male fashion designer.
The exhibits range in eras of time--from the 18th century to the present--and focus on styles popularized by everyone from Empress Eugenie to Jane Holzer. Not only do they present antique and vintage pieces on mannequins, but the displays also feature accessories like shoes and hats and jewelry, textiles and table linens, a sample book of ribbons, fashion and costume design renderings, photos, etc. There are even a couple of muslin mock-ups on forms in the lobby of fashions featured inside the exhibit!
For me, here were some of the highlights: an amazing hand-painted floral satin from the 18th century, a red velvet bonnet by the Harris Sisters featuring tiny insects made of beads, three amazing Caroline Reboux cloches, and a 1940s "milliner's hat" by Hattie Carnegie that featured miniature felt hats as part of its trim! I of course enjoyed the dozens and dozens of ensembles as well, but i tend to focus and remember the things that pertain to my field primarily. Clothing-wise, i loved a Vivienne Westwood assymetrical plaid jacket, a Caroline Herrerra striped silk evening gown, and several of their antique pieces which featured placards describing some "fashion archaological discoveries", how the dresses had obviously been made over several times to conform to changing styles (in one, a bustle had become added sleeve poufs for the leg-o-mutton shape, and in another, sleeve ruffles had been removed and the bodice turned back-to-front).
Add this to the ongoing list of cool free stuff to do in NYC as well--there is no admission fee to the Museum at FIT, and they change over their offerings every few months.
