Exhibitions

Current Special Exhibitions Gallery September 16, 2026 – January 3, 2027

Doll Dressing

Learn more on Doll Dressing Exhibition Page

red jacket and skirt withprint of trompe l'oeil draping and protruding white tabs like paper dolls

Doll Dressing centers on the longstanding connections between dolls and high fashion. Historically, dolls operated as miniature fashion models—they were shipped around Europe and abroad, communicating the latest styles in three-dimensional detail. By the early twentieth century, dolls were not merely sharing the latest trends, but setting them. Curated by Dr. Colleen Hill, senior curator of costume, the exhibition explores the ways in which dolls have influenced fashion and dressed appearance. Doll dressing takes many forms, ranging from the appeal of youthful baby doll dresses, to the 2D quality of "paper doll" looks, to the influence of creepy dolls on fashion. It encompasses clothing and accessories, hair and makeup, and even movement and gestures that take their cue from dolls. Beginning with a brief history of fashion dolls from the eighteenth century to the present, Doll Dressing continues with designs from Marc Jacobs, Patrick Kelly, Lanvin, Jeremy Scott for Moschino, Martin Margiela, Anna Sui, and many others.

Image: Moschino Couture (Jeremy Scott), trompe l'oeil printed jacket and skirt, spring 2017, museum purchases, 2028.9.1-2.

Upcoming Goodman Lobby October 1 – 11, 2026

Figured Cloth: From Sketch to Jacquard

A grid of eight textile pattern swatches in muted taupe, pink, black, and cream, featuring floral motifs, ornamental knotwork, and dragonflies

"Figured cloth" is a historical term for a textile with a pattern, or motif, woven directly into its structure during the manufacturing process, rather than printed or dyed on its surface. These textiles, also known as jacquard fabrics, are now developed using specialized textile design software. This exhibition showcases the jacquard fabrics designed by Textile/Surface Design students in the spring of 2026.

Figured Cloth highlights the evolution of skills and the wide range of creative expression in the jacquard design course. Starting with hand-drawn and painted motifs, students then use weaving software as a tool to iterate, evaluate, and execute their designs. These textiles display the design, conceptual, and technical skills the Textile/Surface Design students have mastered to complete their work.

Special thanks to MTL Inc. for supporting the next generation of textile designers and weaving the fabrics in this exhibition.

Image: Natasha Jensen-Albo

Exhibition Hours:
Monday - Friday: Noon to 8pm

Saturday - Sunday: 10am - 5pm

UPCOMING Special Exhibitions Gallery February 17 – April 18, 2027

Fashioning Desire: Willy Chavarria and Bárbara Sánchez-Kane

barbara sanchez-kane wearing a black suit against a white lace backdrop and willy chavarria in a black jacket and baggy white pants styled with a cross necklace and a red antharium installation behind him

Fashioning Desire: Willy Chavarria and Bárbara Sánchez-Kane is an exhibition exploring the work of designer Willy Chavarria and designer and artist Bárbara Sánchez-Kane in dialogue with one another. These two queer designers of Mexican heritage are reshaping global fashion through their innovative collections. Organized by MFIT's senior curator of education and public programs, Tanya Meléndez-Escalante, the exhibition celebrates how the designers' identities inform their creative vision. The works of Chavarría and Sánchez-Kane are imbued with desire—libidinal, sensual desire, but also a desire for belonging, for resistance, and for visibility. The exhibition will be organized thematically, bringing together works by both designers that reveal shared aesthetics and ideas. With fluid boundaries and bilingual texts, these sections will allude to the binational origins of the creators.

Image: (L) Bárbara Sánchez-Kane, Photographer: Dorian Ulises López Macías. @dorianuliseslopezmacias. (R) Willy Chavarria, Photographer: Diego Bendezu

Upcoming Galería de Exposiciones Especiales, The Museum at FIT 17 de febrero al 18 de abril de 2027

Fashioning Desire: Willy Chavarría y Bárbara Sánchez-Kane

Fashioning Desire: Willy Chavarría y Bárbara Sánchez-Kane es una exposición que explora la obra del diseñador Willy Chavarría y de la diseñadora y artista Bárbara Sánchez-Kane, estableciendo un diálogo entre sus respectivas prácticas. Estos dos diseñadores queer de herencia mexicana están transformando la moda internacional con sus innovadoras colecciones. Organizada por Tanya Meléndez-Escalante, curadora sénior de educación y programas públicos de The Museum at FIT, la exposición celebra la manera en que las identidades de ambos diseñadores nutren su visión creativa. Las obras de Chavarría y Sánchez-Kane están impregnadas de deseo: un deseo libidinal y sensual, pero también de un deseo de pertenencia, resistencia y visibilidad. La exposición estará organizada por temas y reunirá obras de ambos diseñadores que ponen de manifiesto estéticas e ideas compartidas. Mediante fronteras fluidas y textos bilingües, los distintos núcleos temáticos secciones harán alusión a los orígenes binacionales de sus creadores

Imagen: (Izquierda) Bárbara Sánchez-Kane, Fotógrafo: Dorian Ulises López Macías. @dorianuliseslopezmacias. (Derecha) Willy Chavarría, Fotógrafo: Diego Bendezu

Bodice view of blue and green evening dress wih blue cross-over bodice creating a deep V-neck

Elizabeth Hawes, evening dress, blue silk taffeta and green satin, Fall 1936, USA, gift of Mrs. Dudley Schoales, 69.156.1

We have an archive of over ten years of exhibition websites. Take some time to explore our curatorial history!

Catch up on past exhibitions

Exhibitions

Doll Dressing

Figured Cloth: From Sketch to Jacquard

Fashioning Desire: Willy Chavarria and Bárbara Sánchez-Kane

Fashioning Desire: Willy Chavarría y Bárbara Sánchez-Kane

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