Denim Exhibit: Blue Jeans In High Fashion
As if you didn't already know the timelessness of denim, first
popularized by Bavarian designer Levi Strauss, who made blue jeans the
outfit du jour for gold rush miners of the 1890s, there's a new exhibit that explains how 125 years later, you'll find denim on runways around the world. The Museum at FIT,
accredited by the American Alliance of Museums as the only museum in
New York City dedicated solely to the art of fashion opens an exhibit to
celebrate denim, and its relationship to couture.
Dec. 1, Denim: Fashion's Frontieropens at The Museum at FIT with curator Emma McClendon's book by
the same title expected in April of 2016 . The exhibit explores the
curious relationship denim has with high fashion, since its inception in
the nineteenth century.
By the early twentieth century, cowboys and ranchers from Reno to
Arizona were wearing dungarees. Denim was the fabric of nonconformity,
and because it was cheap and easy to clean, blue jeans became especially
popular with kids (and the mothers washing their clothing) from the
1930s to the 1950s.
Back on the homestead, amateur lady ranchers wore the first Lady Levi's. The fashion world took notice, and in 1935, Vogue
ran a story on dude ranch chic. Four years later, in the 1939 film "The
Women" based on Clare Booth Luce's play by the same name, the cast wore
denim to signal the rebellious, sexual and powerful nature of the
characters.
The first American designer to include denim in her
collection was Claire McCardell, who Betty Friedan dubbed, "the girl who
defied Dior." McCardell, who in 1943 took advantage of the wartime
fabric restrictions, saw the value in denim. Not only was the fabric
domestically sourced, it was practical for women in the workplace--as it
took less time and effort to wash, keep clean and didn't require time
spent at an ironing board. An unknown Lauren Bacall modeled McCardell's
denim popover dress in Harper's Bazaar.
Find these
historical garments, including 70 objects from the museum's permanent
collection, many of which have never been on view at the show, which
explain how denim has become a luxury item, as well as a fabric for
contemporary designers to experiment with as a vehicle for postmodern
pastiche and deconstruction.
People want to wear denim, not just
for its ease, but because it's always evolving. Jeans remain timelessly
fresh as well as a necessary indulgence. That's the takeaway from this
gorgeous show that has been thoughtfully curated.
A number of
garments in the exhibition have been newly acquired by The Museum at FIT
from the most recent collections. Among these looks are women's wear
from Dries Van Noten, Chloë, and Sacaï, as well as menswear pieces from
Ralph Lauren and Rag & Bone.
Denim: Fashion's Frontier is organized by Emma McClendon, assistant curator of costume. It is on view from December 1, 2015 to May 7, 2016.
Museum
hours: Tuesday-Friday, noon-8 pm; Saturday, 10 am-5 pm. Closed Sunday,
Monday, and legal holidays. Seventh Avenue at 27 Street
Admission is free.
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