Bus Trip to the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City

Join members of CMCH’s Fashion & Textile Council for a special trip to the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City. Participants will enjoy a special tour of the Force of Nature exhibit and a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s costume collection (please see descriptions of the exhibit and museum collections below). Delicious lunch is included. The bus will depart the CMCH at 7:00 am and return at 6:00 pm.

The trip is free for subscribers to the CMCH Fashion & Textiles Council.

The trip is $85 for CMCH members and $100 for non-members. Space is limited and pre-registration is required.

Please contact Adult Programs Manager Jenny Steadman to register for the trip by phone (860) 236-5621 x289 or email jennifer_steadman@chs.org.

More information on the Force of Nature exhibit on view at the Museum at FIT:

Force of Nature examines how the beauty and complexity of the natural world have inspired fashion designers for centuries. The exhibition places more than 95 objects from MFIT’s permanent collection, dating from the 18th century to the present, within a context of period philosophies and scientific literature in order to demonstrate the deep interconnectedness between fashion and nature. A 1775 robe à l’anglaise with a naturalistic pattern of fruit and flowers, illustrates a movement towards simple dress, influenced by philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, who urged a return to nature. A dress by Alexander McQueen from his acclaimed final collection in 2010, presents a meditation upon Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and concern over climate change. More than a survey of flora, fauna, and geology as merely decorative, the exhibition reveals the natural world as a nexus of ideas and symbolism in fashion design. Force of Nature aims to contribute to today’s important, ongoing conversation about society’s relationship with the natural world and humankind’s place within it.
More information on the Museum at the FIT:

The Museum at FIT, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is one of a select group of specialized fashion museums, including the Muse de la Mode, the Mode Museum, and the Museo de la Moda. For the 100,000 people who visit The Museum at FIT each year, we work to create exhibitions, programs, and publications that are both entertaining and educational. The mission of the Museum is to advance knowledge of fashion through exhibitions, programs and publications. Founded in 1969, the Museum was installed in the current building in 1974, and exhibitions began to be presented in 1975. Dr. Valerie Steele has been director of The Museum at FIT since 2003 and chief curator since 1997.

The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is best known for its innovative and award winning special exhibitions, including London Fashion, which received the first Richard Martin Award for Excellence in the Exhibition of Costume from the Costume Society of America; The Corset: Fashioning the Body, which explored the most controversial garment in the history of fashion; and Madame Grès: The Sphinx of Fashion, a monographic retrospective that examined the working methodologies and unique aesthetic contributions of a great couturier. Recently, the Museum has been mounting even more ambitious exhibitions, such as Gothic: Dark Glamour and A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk.

The museums permanent collection encompasses some 50,000 garments and accessories from the 18th century to the present. Important designers such as Adrian, Balenciaga, Chanel, and Dior are represented. The collecting policy of the museum focuses on aesthetically and historically significant directional clothing, accessories, textiles and visual materials, with emphasis on contemporary avant-garde fashion.