American Beauty

American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion

Special Exhibitions Gallery

November 6, 2009 - April 10, 2010

American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion is the first exhibition to explore how the "philosophy of beauty" is allied to the craft of dressmaking. Each of the 90 looks on display was chosen to exemplify the relationship between technical ingenuity and artistic excellence. Curator Patricia Mears has focused on approximately 25 American fashion designers, ranging from the obscure, such as Jessie Franklin Turner, whose work dates from the late 1910s, to rising stars of the present day, such as the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte. Other designers featured include Adrian, Bonnie Cashin, Maria Cornejo, James Galanos, Halston, Elizabeth Hawes, Charles James, Charles Kleibacker, Claire McCardell, Norman Norell, Rick Owens, Ralph Rucci, Isabel Toledo, Pauline Trigère, Valentina, Yeohlee, and Jean Yu.

Museum Hours:

Tuesday-Friday – noon-8 pm

Saturday –10 am-5 pm

Closed Sunday, Monday, and legal holidays

More info: http://www.fitnyc.edu/5517.asp

Isabel Toledo

Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out

Two of Isabel Toledo dresses on display at the Museum at FIT: left, Half Moons Blossom into a Cornflower Dress, fall/winter 1998-99, in black rayon jersey; on the right, “Diamond Draped Bodice Dresses,” finished and unfinished, fall 2005 in white rayon jersey. The amazing Isabel Toledo, Cuban born, New Jersey raised graduate of both FIT and Parsons School of Design has an incredible show on at FIT in NYC. Not only has she been awarded a Cooper-Hewitt Design Award, an Otis Critics award named for her, but she was only the third recipient to receive The Couture Council Artistry of Fashion Award (2008). She worked briefly with Ann Klein and has enjoyed a working alongside her partner and artist husband, Ruben Toledo.




The show is on through September 26, 2009