The New York Fashion Institute of Technology holds an excellent collection of fashion artifacts.They are currently showing two exhibitions; 'Night and Day' and 'American Beauty' .
'Night and Day' looks at the changing attitudes to dress over the last 250 years. The exhibition reveals the evolution of the rules that govern fashion for particular times of day, including eras when strictly observed etiquette was the norm and other times when more flexible guidelines prevailed. Both of the dresses in the picture are by Dior, on the left is an afternoon dress in silk taffeta and on the right an evening dress in silk satin (1950's).
'American Beauty' is dedicated to the work of American designers.
In the embellishment section it was Rodarte (sisters Kate and Laura Lulleavy) who really stood out.
Their style includes gothic and distressed designs, and layered gowns with fabrics dyed by Edwina Pellikka.
On the left of the picture is a marbelised grey leather dress from their fall 2009 collection. On the right is an evening dress in steam dyed silk and mohair yarn that has overtones of gothic in the black with blood red streaks.
For me the star of the Geometries section was Yeohlee Teng. In 'Infanta' and unitard the is skirt formed from two layers of circles allowing the rear of the upper layer to be raised over the shoulders as a wrap (see upper mannequin). The label said Black Silk Gazar which didn't mean a lot to me but the fabric draped beautifully. Simple in principle, stunning in practice.
'Night and Day' looks at the changing attitudes to dress over the last 250 years. The exhibition reveals the evolution of the rules that govern fashion for particular times of day, including eras when strictly observed etiquette was the norm and other times when more flexible guidelines prevailed. Both of the dresses in the picture are by Dior, on the left is an afternoon dress in silk taffeta and on the right an evening dress in silk satin (1950's).'American Beauty' is dedicated to the work of American designers.
In the embellishment section it was Rodarte (sisters Kate and Laura Lulleavy) who really stood out.Their style includes gothic and distressed designs, and layered gowns with fabrics dyed by Edwina Pellikka.
On the left of the picture is a marbelised grey leather dress from their fall 2009 collection. On the right is an evening dress in steam dyed silk and mohair yarn that has overtones of gothic in the black with blood red streaks.
For me the star of the Geometries section was Yeohlee Teng. In 'Infanta' and unitard the is skirt formed from two layers of circles allowing the rear of the upper layer to be raised over the shoulders as a wrap (see upper mannequin). The label said Black Silk Gazar which didn't mean a lot to me but the fabric draped beautifully. Simple in principle, stunning in practice. 
In the Constructed section Anna was very taken with the work of Rick Owen as demonstrated by the three fur jackets in the exhibition. These include the use of mink, fox and goat embellished with horsehair finishing details.
FIT is in the Fashion District where there are plaques in the sidewalk marking the contributions of Americans who have made a significant impact on the fashion world, such as Halston.
His red dress called American Beauty Rose (right) gives the exhibition its name. Roy Halston Frowick began his fashion career as a milliner - he designed the hat Jacqueline Kennedy wore to 1961's Presidential Inauguration. His move into womens wear was marked by an easy elegance that was adopted by the jet set.
Also in this area is this wonderful, larger than life, statue dedicated to the normally forgotten garment workers of the area 
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