Director's Welcome

Dear Friends,

Welcome to The Museum at FIT, one of the world's great fashion museums. This website is designed to help you plan your next visit to the Museum, whether to see an exhibition or attend a public program.

We are delighted to announce that our big spring exhibition, IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA, opens to the public on February 10 and features approximately 100 of the most influential fashions created  by members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.  Organized by CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg and MFIT’s deputy director Patricia Mears, the exhibition illuminates the spectrum of American style. 

I would also like to call your attention to this spring’s public programming. We are very excited about our February film series: Reel Fashion at FIAF and MFIT. Four documentaries on fashion will be presented alternately at the Museum at and at the French Institute Alliance Française. And don’t miss the lecture series The CFDA at 50: The Presidents Speak (DVF on March 6 – Stan Herman on  April 10 – and Oscar  de la Renta on April 19). Other programs include Bob Mackie and Hal Rubenstein in conversation (March 19), a panel discussion on fashion photography (March 13), a lecture and book signing on Eleanor Lambert with John Tiffany, and our curator-led exhibition tours. The lectures and tours associated with our Fashion Culture programming are all FREE -- but space is limited and reservations are required.

Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT, Part One remains on view in the Fashion & Textile History Gallery until May 8. This is the first of two consecutive exhibitions to highlight modern and contemporary pieces from the Museum’s permanent collection, which includes more than 50,000 garments and accessories from the 18th century to the present. Part Two of Fashion, A-Z opens on May 23.

Later this spring, TASCHEN will be publishing Fashion Designers, A-Z: The Collection of The Museum at FIT. Keep an eye on this website for further information about this lavishly-illustrated publication. In other news, we are re-vamping our online collections! The new searchable database will have over 600 objects, represented by over 900 images (up from 300)… We’ll let you know an actual launch date very soon.

Be sure not to miss Youthquake! The 1960s Fashion Revolution on view from March 6 - April 7 in Gallery FIT.  Organized by students of the School of Graduate Studies in collaboration with The Museum at FIT, the exhibition explores the dramatic impact of youth culture on fashion during the 1960s. We will also have other exciting student shows throughout the spring. 

We also encourage you to find out more about the Couture Council, a fashionable and philanthropic  membership group which supports the Museum at FIT . The Couture Council kicks off New York Fashion Week with our annual benefit luncheon. This year on September 5 we present the Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion to Oscar de la Renta. 

Sincerely,
Valerie Steele, Director