Boy Meets Museum Weekend Girl at FIT!

  I would like to start this out by giving a standing ovation to the amazing curator of the Museum at FIT , Valerie Steele, and her...

 

I would like to start this out by giving a standing ovation to the amazing curator of the Museum at FIT, Valerie Steele, and her amazing team. You can learn more about Valerie here.

Somehow, I neglected to visit the museum after speaking to the students at FIT about my brand, Boy Meets Girl®, a few months ago. In fact, I had NEVER been to the museum before!  It is so important to make sure you take a moment out of your busy life to experience the culture of your surroundings, wherever and whatever that might be.  There's a lot of talent out there to inspire you...

Anyway, when I heard that the Vivienne Westwood exhibit would be showing at the Museum at FIT, I knew I had to go see it before it closed on April 2^nd. I studied in London for a year while also working for English designer, Zandra Rhodes. That's where I first learned of Vivienne Westwood and fell in love with her work. So I was eager to get myself over to FIT and dragged DJ Blue Steel with me.  It was truly amazing. When I got to the Museum I saw the two other exhibits showing there first, saving Vivienne Westwood for my fashion dessert! Below, a recap in order of how I saw them.

1^st) His&Hers Exhibit (Ends May 10th a must see)

Very close to my heart (I love mixing menswear accents into my daily styling and into Boy Meets Girl®). And DJ Blue Steel enjoyed this too because he got a chance to see men’s clothing lol!

My Cliff’s Note: His & Hers compares men’s and women’s clothing from the 19^th century to the present, highlighting their differences-and their similarities.

Highlights for me:
1920's

-Flappers were not simply a reflection of women's liberation; rather, they actually contributed to a new perception of women and, eventually, a new reality.

-Coco Chanel was extremely influential during the 20's and 30's.

1950's
Sportsmaker (Tom Brigance)

His amazing polka dot sateen jumper - you know I am the jumper girl - was a piece I was immediately drawn to. To my great surprise and dismay, I'd never heard of this designer. It was exciting to see his work and learn about someone new (at least to me). I couldn’t take a picture and cannot find so you will have to see in person. But, I did find a great piece of his here at yumyumvintage.

1971
Giorgio di Sant' Angelo 

Another designer that I fell in love with but had never heard of!  You know I love wearing and designing jumpers and shorts so when I walked into the room and saw these shorts (hot pants actually) they were calling my name. Again no picture available but definitely worth it to head down and see these hot pants!

1975

Calvin Klein
Women’s velvet jumpsuit 

Interesting fact talking about the unisex of jumpsuits!

Picture not available

2nd)Japan Fashion Now (ends April 2nd, 2011 also a must see) 

My Cliff’s Note: This is the first exhibition to explore contemporary Japanese fashion in all its radical creativity, from high fashion to street style.

Highlights for me:

2005

Comme Des Garcons (Rei Kawakubo)

Highlight: Black leather jacket/ballerina ensemble

Picture from FIT website

2005-06
Undercover (Jun Takashi)

Highlight: OBSESSED! with this laser skull black wool felt cut out dress
No picture available so make sure to check out!

2008-09
Han Ahn Soon
Mondrian Hello Kitty Dress in sequins

I heart Hello Kitty big time, and this dress is just cool and playful. I would rock it.
No picture available so make sure to check out!

2008-09

h.NAOTO (Hirooka Naoto)
Vintage lace dress with toy necklaces and stuffed animals. Gothic Lolita dress ensemble.

Picture from FIT website

3)DRUMROLL... I finally made it to the Vivienne Westwood  Exhibit!!

My Cliff’s Note: Vivienne Westwood is known for her untraditional approach to fashion and taking tradition into the future.

Highlights for me:

1988

The "Statue of Liberty" dress from her Autumn Time Machine collection

Leather, synthetic lame, silk tulle

I would like to rock this in several different colorways! Can you hear me Vivienne ;)

Picture from FIT website

1980_89
Vivienne Westwood collaborated with the band Bow Wow Wow and dressed the artists from the band for their famously kitchy video, “I Want Candy”. This was first introduced on MTV in 1982.

*As you know, I love collaborating with musicians and I was intrigued to see how Vivienne Westwood did the same*

Picture from FIT website

The Museum at FIT info below:

Location: Seventh Avenue at 27th St. New York, NY, 10001

Hours: Tues-Fri: 12pm-8pm & Sat: 10am-5pm