American Glamour & American Beauty
An extraordinary partnership between the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York (FIT), the most important American fashion school, and yoox.com. Clothing that has marked American fashion history is the protagonist of an exhibition named “American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion” and a selection of vintage items entitled “American Glamour: Fashion, Freedom & Ingenuity”.
Discover more about American Style through the words of the Designers
This double event celebrates American glamour through articles of clothing that have marked American fashion history. “American Glamour and American Beauty arrive at the perfect time,” says Holly Brubach, Creative Consultant for YOOX Vintage projects, “when fashion buyers are turning to vintage for uniqueness and value, and the audience for vintage is eager for information, growing more and more sophisticated. In difficult times that demand a new way of thinking, yoox.com is delighted to break new ground with this innovative partnership by creating a bridge between a non-profit institution and the world of online retail. The result is a wonderful exchange, with yoox.com providing its Web expertise to help bring American Beauty to the attention of a worldwide audience, and FIT reciprocating by lending us its scholarship and insight.” Each of the exhibition’s four sections, curated by Patricia Mears, Deputy Director of FIT – Geometries, Dressmaking vsTailoring, Engineering, Embroidery & Surface Embellishment – narrates a different story. The aesthetics of beauty, however, is the common thread connecting sartorial garments, exquisite decoration, experimental geometries and construction, working methods to be found also in the four sections of American Glamour, selected and curated by vintage expert Clair Watson.
The designers included in this exhibition rank among the most interesting for their imagination and creative approach. “American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion” features about 75 garments designed by 20 designers and date from the 1930s to the present; “American Glamour: Fashion, Freedom & Ingenuity” assembles over 50 pieces by 15 different American designers. Featured are: Charles James, Charles Kleibacker, Bonnie Cashin, Halston (including the dress made for Martha Graham for sale on yoox.com) Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, James Galanos and Norman Norell in addition to contemporary designers like Ralph Rucci, Isabel Toledo, Yeohlee Teng, Maria Cornejo and the Mulleavy sisters, the duo behind Rodarte. These are just a few of the names that represent the evolution of American fashion worldwide, names that over time have garnered the attention and the spotlight of the fashion world. The spectrum ranges from Halston’s red dress, the exhibition’s icon, to the disposable paper dress inspired by Andy Warhol’s famous “Campbell Soup” print, two true style symbols.
The New Yooxer went off to explore American Style in New York City, the birthplace of American fashion, in an attempt to define its beauty, revealing its allure and most hidden behind the scenes by interviewing the people who have played a leading role: designers James Galanos, Charles Kleibacker, Ralph Rucci, Yeholee, Creative Director of the Calvin Klein Collection Francisco Costa, patternmaker Nicolas Caito, European Editor at Large at Vogue America and vintage collector Hamish Bowles, and Patricia Mears, the project’s curator.
A portrait of American fashion, whose cultural freedom, originality and creative creed join forces in this project: a special opportunity to experience and purchase unique items with an extraordinary story to tell. “American Beauty is both an important and timely exhibition, combining aesthetic issues with popular appeal,” says Dr. Valerie Steele, Director of the Museum at FIT. “Patricia Mears’ book to accompany the exhibition, a symposium to be held at FIT, and our partnership with yoox.com help to fulfill the museum’s mission of advancing knowledge of fashion.
Check out the American Glamour selection
Exclusive Video Interviews with:
Yeohlee Teng, President and Designer YEOHLEE Inc, General Secretary CFDA
Charles Kleibacker, Adjunct Curator of Design, Columbus Museum of Art; Designer, KLEIBACKER
Ralph Rucci, Designer, Chado Ralph Rucci
James Galanos, Designer, Galanos Inc.Video:
Videos produced by Alex Majoli/Magnum Photos and Cesuralab
American Beauty:
Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion
November 6, 2009 - April 10, 2010
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York
