Tag Archives: museum at fit

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Isaac Mizrahi’s Lumberjack Evening Ensemble

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isaac mizrahi lumberjack evening ensemble photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

In 1995, the Isaac Mizrahi documentary Unzipped was released and it was an immediate hit. Unzipped details the making of Mizrahi’s 1994 fall collection, which was partly inspired by the groundbreaking 1922 documentary, Nanook of the North.

lumberjack evening ensemble rear view photo by gail worley
Installation View

In one dramatic scene, Mizrahi appears crestfallen to learned that designer Jean Paul Gaultier has also produced and ‘Eskimo-inspired’ collection — but Mizrahi need not have worried. His ebullient and cheerful take on Arctic chic — which include Technicolor Parka’s and billowing, vibrantly striped even skirts — in no way resembled Gaultier’s more literal adaptations.

lumberjack parka detail photo by gail worley
Lumberjack Evening Ensemble, Parka Hood Detail

Photographed at The Museum at FIT in October 2017 as Part of the Exhibit, Expedition: Fashion From The Extreme.

isaac mizrahi lumberjack evening ensemble photo by gail worley

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Black and Gold Evening Ensemble By Karl Lagerfeld for Chloé

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Black and Gold Evening Ensemble By Karl Lagerfeld Photo By Gail Worley
All Photos By Gail

Chloe is a French fashion house founded in 1952 by the Jewish Egyptian immigrant Gaby Aghion, who had a vision to offer luxury ready-to-wear. Karl Lagerfeld began designing for Chloe in 1966, and his creations from the 1970s were extremely influential.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Black and Gold Evening Ensemble By Karl Lagerfeld for Chloé →

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Christian Dior, Columbine Dress

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Christian Dior Columbine Dress Photo By Gail Worley
Photos By Gail

Christian Dior’s “New Look” was central to the postwar revival of the Paris couture system. In addition to selling individual couture  dresses to private clients, Dior also sold licensed copies, like this one of his Columbine dress, which was produced in the US for American department stores. The number of such high-end reproductions was limited, but there were also mass-produced garments that catered to the desire for at least “a copy of a copy of a Dior.”

Christian Dior Columbine Dress Photo By Gail Worley

The Dress Pictured Here is a Licensed Copy of Dior’s Columbine Dress by I. Magnin and Lord & Taylor circa 1947. Photographed as Part of the Exhibit, Paris, Capital of Fashion at the Museum at FIT in Manhattan.

 

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Orange Shirred Velvet Corset Dress By Jean Paul Gaultier

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Orange Shirred Velvet Corset Dress
Photos By Gail

John Paul Gaultier was among the createurs who helped make French fashion so exciting in the 1980s. The way he played with conventions of sex and gender, in particular, has had a profound influence on fashion. For example, rather than using corsetry to reinforce conventional ideals of beauty, Gaultier has always emphasized that many body types, genders and ages can be attractive. This Orange Shirred Velvet Corset Dress, featuring Gaultier’s signature cone bra top (made famous by Madonna) is from his 1984 Fall collection. Continue reading Eye On Design: Orange Shirred Velvet Corset Dress By Jean Paul Gaultier →

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Alexander Wang Orange Mesh Mini Dress

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Alexander Wang Orange Mesh Mini Dress
Photos By Gail

In recent years, Asian American designers, especially those of Chinese heritage, have emerged as a significant presence in New York’s fashion world, comparable to that of Jewish immigrants in the past. To be a member of the Chinese diaspora can be advantageous when much apparel is manufactured in China, and Chinese consumers are a growing force in the fashion world. In addition to his New York-based eponymous business, Alexander Wang was for a time a designer at Balenciaga in Paris. This sporty-chic Orange and Black cotton and synthetic-blend Mesh Knit Mini Dress is from Wang’s Spring 2015 collection.

Alexander Wang Orange Mesh Mini Dress
Installation View

Photographed as Part of The Exhibit, Paris, Capital of Fashion, On View at The Museum at FIT in Manhattan Through January 4th, 2020.