Get Fabulous Through Education

I can't believe I'm so behind on some of the coolest and free fashion events that there are in New York City - the Museum at FIT events. Last time I was there was for the Daphne Guinness amazing exhibition of personal fashion collection, much of which was a dedication to her favorite Alexander McQueen.

I could have almost missed meeting the notorious Condé Nast Italy and editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, l'Uomo Vogue, and Vogue Gioiello, Franca Sozzani on May 4th, 2012, whose been quite a personality in the fashion industry - to say the least. She was one of the first ones in the fashion publishing industry to recognize the need to make the online/print publication of the Italian Vogue digital and social media - friendly. Not to mention the fact that she actually blogs on a daily basis herself!

In this event, she will be discussing her impressive career, which would include  Vogue.it. her Goodwill Ambassador role for “Fashion 4 Development,” and receiving the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor on March 14, 2012 from French president  Nicolas Sarkozy. Pretty impressive, right?

And I almost missed, what looks like, a very interesting discussion and presentation about the use of the fashion in the films of one of my favorite film directors in the world - Pedro Almodóvar, the tickets for which I've just bought as well! The event will feature Spanish designer Davidelfin and CUNY professor Paul Julian Smith as they discuss fashion in the films of Pedro Almodóvar. Davidelfin will speak as one of Almodóvar’s close friends, while Smith, author of the book Desire Unlimited: The Cinema of Pedro Almodóvar, will contextualize the director’s work. Organized in collaboration with the Consulate General of Spain in New York and the Association of Spanish Fashion Designers (ACME). 

Can't believe I was that close to miss these fabulous events the same way I've missed the Oscar de la Renta night and Fashion A-Z: Highlights from the Collection - both of which are already sold out. So my advice will be to you, get on it now or you'd miss some fabulous fashion events with some fabulous fashion celebrities.

Don't miss, the last chance to see:

Youthquake! The 1960s Fashion Revolution

Bob Dylan by Harry Gordon, paper, 1968, England, gift of Estelle Ellis. Closes April 7, 2012 Youthquake! The 1960s Fashion Revolution explores the dramatic impact of youth culture on fashion during the 1960s. More than thirty garments, accessories, videos, and other related media are featured, including fashions by Yves Saint Laurent, André Courrèges, and Giorgio di Sant’Angelo. The epicenter of youth-generated style was London, where young shoppers flocked to boutiques opened by energetic, equally young designers. By comparing designs ranging from cutting-edge boutique and mass-market labels to high fashion ready-to-wear and couture, the exhibition attests to the ascendance of youth as the driving force in fashion. This exhibition has been organized and curated by FIT graduate students of the Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice program.

IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA

Thom Browne ensemble - Pheasant feather / wool suit with grey felted fur bowler hat - Autumn/Winter 2008-2009, USA - lent by Thom Browne . Closes April 17, 2012Conceived by CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg and curated by Patricia Mears, deputy director of The Museum at FIT, IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA is an ode to the illustrious designs of the CFDA’s many members and marks the organization’s fiftieth anniversary in 2012. The exhibition includes approximately 100 objects, both garments and accessories, by the CFDA’s most impactful creators of the last 50 years. Also included are visual images and acknowledgement of the nearly 600 designers who have been members over the past five decades. Each living designer selected to participate in the exhibition has chosen a single object or ensemble that best represents his or her impact on the fashion world. A visually rich publication also entitled Impact, produced by the CFDA and published by Harry N. Abrams, is the companion book to the exhibition. Read more here

Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT, Part One

Thierry Mugler ensemble - Metallic silver lilac lamé, lilac satin - Circa 1987, France, Museum purchase. November 29, 2011 - May 8, 2012 Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT, Part One is the first of two exhibitions that highlight modern and contemporary pieces from the Museum’s permanent collection. More than fifty garments and accessories are featured by designers from Alaïa to Zoran, including work by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, Christian Dior, and Miuccia Prada. Full portraits of all exhibition objects from the two exhibitions will be included in a companion publication by TASCHEN, forthcoming fall 2012. Read more here.

Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT, Part Two

Alexander McQueen, dress in silk satin and chiffon with photo digital print, spring 2010, England, museum purchase. May 23 - November 10, 2012 Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT, Part Two is the second of two exhibitions that highlight modern and contemporary pieces from the Museum’s permanent collection. More than sixty garments and accessories are featured by designers from Adrian to Zoran, including work by Charles James, Ralph Lauren, and Diane von Furstenberg. Full portraits of all exhibition objects from the two exhibitions will be included in a companion publication by TASCHEN, forthcoming fall 2012.

Art & Design Graduating Student Exhibition 2012

May 9 - 22, 2012 This show presents the work of more than 800 students receiving AAS and BFA degrees from the School of Art & Design and is on view throughout the main floors of the Marvin Feldman Center, the Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, the Shirley Goodman Resource Center, and the John E. Reeves Great Hall. The exhibition features work in seventeen areas of study - Accessories Design, Advertising Design, Communication Design, Computer Animation & Interactive Media, Fabric Styling, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Jewelry Design, Menswear, Packaging Design, Photography, Textile/Surface Design, Toy Design, and Visual Presentation & Exhibition Design. The art selected is the culmination of each student’s unique experience in the Fashion Institute of Technology’s diverse, challenging, and demanding undergraduate Art & Design programs. Featuring juried, award winning, and thesis projects, this presentation is the manifestation of several years of research, experimentation, critical thinking, and artistic proficiency. The Graduating Student Exhibition advances the College’s applied philosophy that integrates practice in industry with theory and teaching inside the studio.