New Acquisitions
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These dramatic bound sleeves are deceptive—unless the wearer's arms are outstretched,
they look like typical bell sleeves. Pierre Cardin introduced a similar style during
the early 1970s, but Tom Ford's example—with its fully open back—incorporates his
signature, provocative sensibility.
This dress was on view in the 2024 exhibition Statement Sleeves.
Raul Lopez is the designer behind the fashion brand LUAR. His collections often draw from his own experiences as a Dominican-American living in Brooklyn, New York. For this dress, Lopez was inspired by the fashion choices of his relatives who would come to family parties dressed-to-impress in their interpretations of American luxury. The dress mimics a sporty jacket worn over an evening dress, emulating the appearance of the designer's aunts, who would arrive at family parties wearing their finest looks covered by whatever outerwear they had available. In many Latin American cultures, how you present yourself to family is connected to the love and respect you have for each other. For Raul Lopez, these personal memories highlight notions of aspiration and belonging in the immigrant experience.
This dress was on view in the 2023 exhibition Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion Design.
Photo: Filippo Fior, courtesy of LUAR.
Luiz Cláudio Silva hails from the Minas Gerais state, a gold-mining center during the Portuguese colonial period. The Ouro (Gold) collection, visualized through the glowing gold of this geometric suit, pays tribute to the economic activity of Black Brazilian women who sold sweets and other foods for the gold required to purchase the freedom of enslaved people. Historian Mariana L.R. Dantas notes the often-overlooked but essential economic activity that free Black women contributed to the region's development.
This pantsuit was on view in the 2024 exhibition Africa's Fashion Diaspora.
A cherry print is a perennial classic in women's fashion. Surrealist examples from
the 1930s took on more feminine
characteristics during the 1940s and cherries were established as whimsical conversation
prints during the 1950s. Now associated with vintage styles, the sweet, bright,
summertime fruit lends its qualities to nostalgic reinterpretations such as the oversized
rendition seen here.
This dress was on view in the 2023 exhibition Food & Fashion.
Below are the types of objects in the collections of The Museum at FIT.
The accessories collection consists of approximately 15,000 objects that date from the mid-17th century to the present day. The collection has a particularly strong emphasis on designer accessories from the second half of the 20th century.
The accessories collection is supported by the Solomon-Sloan Endowment Fund, which was established in 2005 to facilitate the acquisition, conservation, documentation and exhibition of accessories.
- The footwear collection contains more than 4,000 pairs of shoes, boots and sandals. It includes examples by designers such as Manolo Blahnik, Roger Vivier, Herbert Levine, and Salvatore Ferragamo.
- The millinery collection contains more than 3,000 hats by famous milliners such as Caroline Reboux, Lilly Daché, Halston and Philip Treacy. There are also many examples from designers such as Christian Dior, Balenciaga and Jacques Fath.
- <The handbag collection includes fine examples by luxury houses such as Hermés and Gucci as well as examples by Roberta di Camerino, Judith Leiber and Bonnie Cashin for Coach.
- Other accessories include fans, gloves, belts, hosiery and costume jewelry.
The Costume Collection consists of more than 50,000 objects dating from the mid-18th century to the present. The strength of the collection lies in its 20th-century holdings and, particularly, in couture and ready-to-wear women's clothing. The collections are currently being computerized to facilitate research.
- The costume collection includes fashion by designers such as Azzedine Alaïa, Balenciaga, Chanel, Comme des Garçons, Dior, Galanos, Halston, Charles James, Norell, Paul Poiret, Yves Saint Laurent, and Vivienne Westwood.
- The Halston Archives and Study Room hold designs, patterns, and related records documenting this important designer's life work.
- The menswear collection features some 2,000 garments ranging from formal to activewear, including suits, coats, vests, and uniforms.
- Also included are swimwear, lingerie, outerwear, and knitwear.
The Textile Collection consists of more than 30,000 textiles dating from the fifth century to the present, and includes the work of artists and designers such as Junichi Arai, Salvador Dali, Raoul Dufy, and William Morris.
- The textile collection includes apparel and home furnishing fabrics, embroideries, and shawls.
- The collection also includes a number of ribbon sample books.
- The J.B. Martin Velvet Room archives handwoven and production velvets spanning a 125-year period.
The Photography Archive features the work of fashion photographers Louise-Dahl Wolfe (1895-1989), who produced 86 cover images and thousands of interior shots for Harper’s Bazaar magazine, and John Rawlings (1912-1970), who had more than 200 Vogue and Glamour magazine covers.
Image: Louise Dahl-Wolfe photograph of model Sandra Payson. Featured in Harper’s Bazaar, March 1947, page 205, gift of Louise Dahl-Wolfe, 74.84.54
For those looking for the Herman Landshoff collection, the archive has been transferred
to:
Munchner Stadtmuseum
Sammlungsleiter Fotomuseum
St.-Jakobs-Pl. 1
80331 Munchen
The contact for the collection is:
Dr. Ulrich Pohlmann
Tel.: 089/233-22948
Fax.: 089/233-27969
email.: [email protected]