The Museum at FIT has long been recognized for its innovative and award-winning exhibitions, but less well-known is the fact that its permanent collection encompasses more than 50,000 garments and accessories and 30,000 textiles dating from the eighteenth century to the present. Thematic exhibitions in the Fashion and Textile History Gallery are drawn exclusively from the museum’s permanent collection and have typically been organized chronologically, covering 200 to 250 years of fashion history. Since The Museum at FIT collection is especially strong in designer fashion from the 20th and 21st centuries, it decided to organize an exhibition that focuses on modern and contemporary fashion and accessories from the collection. A companion book, to be published by TASCHEN in fall 2012, will feature more than 500 photographs of fashions from the museum’s collection, as well as photographs of many of our exhibitions.

For more information, please visit The Museum at FIT.
Credits image: Charles James, evening dress in silk taffeta and net, 1955, USA, gift of Robert Wells In Memory of Lisa Kirk.