Vivienne Westwood 1980's - Exhibit at FIT

She claims she never intended to go into fashion…What a thought.  One of the most original characters of the punk 70’s, flamboyant 80’s and the decadent 90’s got involved in clothing design to “help out her boyfriend”. 

Of course, the designer is Vivienne Westwood, and that boyfriend was Malcolm Maclaren, manager of the Sex Pistols.  The Museum at FIT is launching a small exhibit next Tuesday showcasing her iconic looks from the decade of the 1980’s.  That’s when dressing like a Pirate was considered chic and English tweed could actually be made edgy.

Exhibit runs from March 8, 2011 – April 2, 2011.

Museum at FIT

Photo via WWD archives

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Japan Fashion Now Exhibit at the Museum at FIT

Inspiration from the East?  Avant-garde or Super-sweet?  Gothic? Anime?  What do you think of when you think of Japanese fashion?  The current exhibit at the Museum of FIT investigates the tipping point of Japan as a fashion heavyweight in the 1980's to current streetwear influences.  Edgy designers like Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto bridged philosophy and art with functional clothing.  

There is a gallery of a futuristic Tokyo and a range of styles representing subcultures of Forest Girl, Kawaii, Gothic Lolitas and Cosplay.

The exhibit runs until January 8, 2011 and is located at 27th street and 7th avenue in NYC.

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Fashion Exhibits Paris, NYC & London - Museum Roundup

Haute Couture week in Paris has just ended. The garmento glitterati are now bracing for upcoming NY Fashion Week and London Fashion week the storms to come. I invite those of you who are not attending the shows (or have lost too much sleep preparing for them) to take a break and get some inspiration from fashion’s cultural greats. (Remember those days when you weren't burnt out and had some creative drive?)


In Paris, check out the Mme Vionnet exhibit and the upcoming tribute to Animal print and motifs at Les Arts Decoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts). Also in the City of Lights, pay homage to the great Yves St. Laurent at the Petit Palais.



In New York, admire "American Beauty" at the Museum at FIT. This exhibit explores the "philosophy of beauty" and how it applies to the craft of dressmaking by American fashion designers. Also at the museum, check out "Scandals, Sandals & Lady Slippers" for all the foot fetishists out there. Over at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, the work of the Mulleavy sisters is on display in a retrospective of the Rodarte Label.



In London, look for Grace Kelly: Style Icon at the Victoria and Albert Museum. After admiring the past, look ahead to Future Fashion Now, an exhibit of the graduating designers of the Royal College of Art. At the Fashion and Textile Museum, relive London's cultural revolution with the Foale & Tuffin: Made in England exhibit.

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