Tag Archives: Introduction

Influencers at FIT – Valerie Steele

Here at FIT we have a vast resource at our fingertips: the Museum at FIT (located below the Gladys Marcus library). In addition to the numerous exhibitions held every year, students also have access to the study collection where garments, accessories and textiles can be seen up close.  Valerie Steele is the curator of the Museum, a prolific fashion academic, and the editor of the journal Fashion Theory. I sat down with Ms. Steele to discuss her impressive history as well as the museum’s past and future:

Credit: Aaron Cobbett

Credit: Aaron Cobbett

This interview has been edited and condensed for publication


Since this interview is for the Admissions Blog, I wanted to ask you a little about your own education. What did you find most helpful about your university education?

Hmm…well, I’ve never been asked that before. I guess that the most important thing I learned, both as an undergraduate at Dartmouth and a graduate student at Yale, was how to do research–learning how to use primary research. I know when I used to teach in the graduate school here at FIT, that was something I pounded into the students, the difference between primary and secondary research. That was something I thought was especially important.

You said that while getting your PhD the study of fashion was really vilified. Being here in New York, which is one of the “big four” fashion capitals, and also being here at FIT one of the best design schools, it may seem like this has passed, but do you think there has actually been change outside of this bubble?

Well, I think fashion is much more accepted as a field of serious study. There are many more people around the world working on articles, books and exhibitions about fashion. On the other hand, there are still very few places that offer a doctorate in fashion studies. It is still very much an interdisciplinary field. So, if you want to go ahead and study fashion you still have to think, “Will I be in an art history department or history or cultural studies? Where can I find someplace to study that?”

And you never studied museum-ology or museum theory, so was it difficult to transition from academic writing to more creatively focused exhibitions?

It’s interesting you should ask that. My doctorate is in Modern European Cultural and Intellectual History, but I did every single class, except one, and my dissertation in the history of fashion. When I started teaching in the graduate school at FIT, it was in what was then the Museum Studies Costume and Textiles Department, now it is called Fashion and Textiles Studies: History, Theory and Museum Practice. So I was teaching fashion history, but within the framework of a museum studies program. Obviously it was exciting and new to actually be putting on exhibitions here. That was a big thrill. It is not that different from the kind of research you do for putting together a big article or a book. In fact, all my big exhibitions here are accompanied by a book as well, so it is the same kind of research procedure.

In that same vein, who do you see as the audience of the Museum at FIT, and how do you pique their interests?

Well, our audiences are multiple. Obviously the FIT community is one of our core audiences, and then people in fashion and design-related fields are another. A third is just the museum-going public, and that is very much an international public. So, we try to do shows that represent original research, but that are also accessible to people at all levels of sophistication. A lot of the FIT community or designers who come to shows really know a lot about fashion history and design so you have to give them more, extra in-depth things. But you also want to be accessible to people who walk in off the street. They might be anyone from a six-year-old to a grandma who might not know very much about fashion, but you have to intrigue them as well. That is the idea to try and present it in a way which is visually stimulating and exciting so that whether they know anything about the topic or if they bother to read anything, they can still get something out of the show.

I actually have noticed a lot of children when I am in the museum, and I am amazed they are not only interested, but they comment on stuff!

Oh they will! Absolutely! A colleague of mine brought her two-year-old son to the corset show, and she said he just sat down on the floor and gazed up at this Vivenne Westwood corset-dress. She thought it was wonderful, she said, “oh there he is fantasizing about the eternal feminine.”

What do you think the hardest part about developing a show is? Is it picking the topic or is it finding people to work with or…?

Oh, I don’t know if there is a “hardest” part. I think one of the challenges is actually getting your hands on the things you want to put in the show. You’ll do all kinds of research, and you’ll think, “Okay I want this dress, I want this dress…” but then you have to find out who owns that? And will they lend it to me? And how much will it cost to borrow it, how can I raise the money to borrow it? Et cetera, et cetera.

Well, that leads me into my next question. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute collection is the only one, at least in New York, that can even compare to the one at the Museum at FIT. So what is your relationship with them, do you borrow and lend a lot for shows?

We do borrow and lend with them. I wouldn’t say a lot, but every few shows they will borrow something from us or we will borrow from them. Two pieces in the dance exhibition are from the Met, and we’re lending I think four pieces to their China exhibition which will open in the Spring.

So it is only a few pieces then. I guess you both have such huge collections neither of you need to borrow anything.

Well, it is interesting, we will borrow back and forth for a few key pieces, and both of us have a pretty good idea of what is in the other collection. We also borrow and lend from the Museum of the City of New York, which also has a fantastic collection. Most of the older things, for example, if there is a 19th century thing, we will try and borrow from them. We also loaned to their Stephen Burrows show a year ago.

Oh yes, I saw that show and I have to admit I was a little surprised. I didn’t think the Museum of the City of New York had that much fashion, but I guess they do.

Oh, they do! They have a really wonderful fashion collection.

Is there one specific exhibit that sticks out in your mind as being particularly exciting or difficult or just interesting for you?

Well, a couple. I loved working on Gothic: Dark Glamour. That was the first time we did a really immersive mise-en- scène with a graveyard, a laboratory, and a ruined castle and things. That was great fun, and I think good preparation for upcoming shows like our fairy tale show, which we will do in 2016 that will similarly have dramatic mise-en-scènes. And then, of course, A Queer History of Fashion won us a lot of prizes, particularly for the work that we did both in reaching out to the LGBT community and doing media online. I think that was also good preparation for remembering to focus on diversity themes in all of our shows and also remembering to emphasize media media media! It is a great way to reach out to people. Even if they cannot come in the door of the exhibition, they can still get information and images online.

Who writes for Fashion Theory, which is your journal?

It is mostly curators and professors and graduate students.

So is it mostly people you have met? Or do people apply?

No, no it is a peer-reviewed journal which means that people send things in, and then I have to find one or two experts in their field who will peer review it and say whether or not it is good enough to go in, or absolutely not, or can it go in only if they make x, y, z changes. It is much more prestigious and important for scholars to be published in a peer-reviewed journal than just a regular magazine.

I just wanted to introduce the readers to the Couture Council, because I think a lot of people don’t even know that it exists. And to be honest, I don’ t know that much about it because there isn’t that much information available.

Yes, the Couture Council is a friends group, which many museums have. It is a membership group; members pay $1,000 a year and young members under 35 pay $350 a year. They can come to various events, and the money–their membership fees along with the awards luncheon–help fund exhibitions, public programs and acquisitions for the museum. We get some money from corporations and foundations, but the Couture Council is nice because it is reliable. No matter what our show is about, whether it is a kooky one that we can’t get any corporate sponsors to fund, or it is controversial in some way, we know the Couture Council is there to help support all our exhibitions and all our public programs.

Lastly, is there anything you would like to do professionally that you haven’t had the chance to do yet?

Well, of course, if you had your own television show, you could reach a bigger audience. I do a lot of [appearances on] TV shows, but I think there is a lot more that could be done. Now, of course, television is becoming a bit outdated, so you really have to think in terms of the world-wide web. We have a new department specifically focusing on media and new initiatives. Many of the videos shown in the lobby are on the YouTube page. On YouTube there’s a little of this and a little of that. Each of the fashion exhibitions has its own website and we’re increasingly doing videos for those.

Yes, I have used the exhibition websites for information for some class projects. They are done really beautifully. Well, thank you so much for sitting down with me. It was a pleasure talking to you!

Of course, with pleasure! Thank you, it was nice talking to you!

–Emily–

Have the best registration EVER

While many dread the planning and prep and stress of registration, I LOVE IT.  I love being able to schedule my life and know how my following semester is going to look.  I thrive on planning and organizing so registration is my Christmas.  While I have made a post on registration every time it rolls around, there are important points to reinforce and introduce (and who wants to dig through thousands of posts):

  1. Talk to your academic advisor
    Make an appointment with your academic advisor even if you know what classes you have to take.  It is comforting to have your schedule and courses solidified by those who know best.  Also, for those who don’t know, not all courses are available to all majors – including liberal arts.  Therefore, it is best to make an appointment before you register!  Here is the link to make an appointment: http://www.fitnyc.edu/13575.asp
  2. Plan Ahead
    Once you have the classes that you are planning on taking, make up your schedule.  Map out a tentative schedule and plan out your biggest/most important/longest classes first and revolve your classes around that.
  3. Write down the CRN codes
    The CRN codes are the first things that you can type in to register for all your classes.  If you have all the CRN codes for your classes, you type them in when it’s your registration time, hit submit and you’re all set. 
  4. Be flexible
    This one isn’t the easiest, especially for me.  Sometimes you won’t get the classes you want so you have to be prepared to move your schedule around.
  5. Don’t stress
    Registration is exciting because that means you are one semester closer to graduating. Keep your chin up and know that winter break is soon!

Ashley

Student ID Card

Hello there Newcomers,

As you start crossing out things from your Checklist for New Students, you will soon find out that you need a student ID Card to access any FIT Building. FIT is obsessed with security (and I mean it) and in order to enter campus buildings your ID cards must be clearly (and I mean in the security guards face) for them to let you in. tumblr_inline_mkm1lltt4x1qz4rgpParents sure do love this top-notch security, but as I (repeatedly say on my tours) it gets annoying for us students. Anyways I’m not here for that, you will notice that on your own haha.

Your photo ID cards are issued at the beginning of every semester (usually during orientation they have a set schedule for you) or if you are smart enough and live near FIT you can just show up on campus now with proof of registration (this means your Fall 2014 schedule, which can be printed at the Registration Center, Business & Liberal Arts Center Room B103 for FREE) and avoid lines. These ID cards identify you as members of the FIT community  (so remember to give us your best smile) and can be great conversation starters at any cafe, or the subway and even in different countries (FIT is world-renowned). Every semester after you need to get your ID card validated with a colorful sticker that you obtain from Campus Security during registration (you need a valid class schedule, same process as the beginning).unnamedTo get your ID card you (by now know you need your schedule) must bring identification to the Photo Id Center located in in room D-404 (the D building is Pomeranz Center located on the corner of 27th Street and 7th Avenue). They are open Mondays-Fridays from 10am – 9pm and Saturdays from 10am – 5pm. Some of these times might vary during holidays so please go ahead and contact the Photo ID Center: [email protected] – 212 217-7777, just to double-check. Oh, and before I forget, administrative offices are closed from Friday-Sunday during the summer (this means you wont be able to get your schedule printed out).4b690fa88258a84567c3c484f140997bd8379578430ecaa00307e78e6a030ae1Since I saved the best for last, I think you should now every visitor is required to enter campus via the Marvin Feldman Center lobby. They will then be required to show a photo ID to security in order to obtain a visitor’s pass. If by now you are thinking argh so tedious, keep in mind all this is just to keep you safe and sound. tumblr_lq8l7ydnS81qlw0qxo3_400BTW, just in case you have cool parents (mom in my case) if they would like to sit in for one of your classes, just have your professor write-up a letter and take it to security when you go get their visitors pass.

Summer is almost over, remember CARPE DIEM!

Sadie

PS: Don’t lose it, or you’ll have to pay for a new one (why, GOD, WHY?!)

3a2cdf5394269e7248402e442eca2b24f35f2036a590ad73a23c4ce9cd81c7b1

Plan the Perfect Semester

Anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law.

If questioned twice, I will deny this post ever existed (something along the lines of identity theft). Bearing that in mind I will proceed to share my secrets with you (hahaha).

Ciao incoming students,

As you plan out your first semester (and swear you are about to die, so stressed out) there are some things that have come in handy through the years when it comes to registering and choosing classes.

  1. You will be assigned a faculty adviser according to your last name, you can and you should email this person as soon as you receive the email. Later on, you will find out that you like a certain teacher better and you can request to change :). I got snowed in during my first week, so I had to assign myself my own adviser which turned out to be wonderful, because I chose someone who fit (no pun intended, well maybe a bit) me.
  2. Search for your curriculum at the FIT website. Home –> Academics–> Undergraduate Programs–> Fashion Merchandising Management–> Curriculum. This will help you have an idea of what the next two years of your life will look like. Minimum credits for a full-time student: 12, max credits per semester: 21.Screen Shot 2014-04-10 at 6.18.17 PM
  3. Who doesn’t like ending the semester as early as possible to enjoy Xmas back with the family or just to explore NYC better (you nodding your head, pay attention NOW, will not regret)? As much as I love FIT, I am a metal to a magnet, I can feel the stronger pull to return back home early (long distance relationship, love of my life, target acquired) so I plan things to end early December. How? Well, (refer to the top quote haha) you look up the semester calendar. Look at what day is the last day, this fall the classes to end up the latest are Friday (sometimes can be Monday) classes, which means I plan my whole semester around NOT taking Friday classes (perks: long weekends, every weekend). Semester Calendar fall 2014
  4. Log in to MyFIT before your assigned date and time and look up at courses (use class search), days, time slots, availability and professor if noted (ratemyprofessor them). Create two mock schedules by u in excel and write down the CRN (course reference number, duh right 😛), this will make registering a one minute deal. You will log in, click on student tab, under online resources click Registration, choose semester, copy paste your CRN’s and done.Screen Shot 2014-04-10 at 6.29.54 PM
  5. Check out what your major has to offer, I know International Trade & Marketing offers advisement tracks, where they suggest what courses you should take, depending on what your dream job is. Don’t be afraid to click around the website, or Google what you want to do after graduation (I know it seems far out and away, but better not let it take you by surprise).Screen Shot 2014-04-10 at 6.33.59 PM
  6. Make an appointment with our (well now yours too, CONGRATS) Academic Advisement Center, they are happy to meet with you in person, online, or via telephone (convenient, yes!). They want to make your “academic experience as smooth and rewarding as possible” if that is not enough for you, at their front desk there is always free candy (no questions or comments just ransack the bowl haha).

Welcome to the beginning of an amazing chapter in your life! You will not regret this decision, so many doors will be opened for you that you will look back in hindsight and laugh at yourself ever even considering other options. Below, a peek into your great future: Greatness joke

Carpe Diem,

Sadie

All work No play

Hi again everyone! So on Saturday I was asked to show more of my work now from a lot of people, mostly students. I can’t show too much because well professors don’t like that for the classes and I can’t have anyone steeling my brilliant ideas! SO every once in a while you will get a backstage pass to ” a life of an interior design student at FIT” ( That’s right I am an interior design student and I am alive haha).

hhThis first image is a quick idea I did on Revit. For those of you who don’t know what Revit is, it’s a 3D design program made by the same producers of AUTOCAD, both these programs work hand in hand. You will learn AUTOCAD your second semester and REVIT your third, so before that it’s all by hand.

 

unnamedThis is a perspective drawing, you will learn this in your second semester. perspectives are 3D drawings focusing on two or more walls. To make these drawings you will take your drafting equipment and two vanishing points…. I can’t tell you that much 🙂 You will have to wait to take the class. P.S every teacher switches there plans, so it may look similar to things I may post on here, but trust me it’s not so nothing can be copied here and that’s the only reason I am posting it.

I hope you enjoyed your little sneak peek, now it’s time to get back to work for me!

Xoxo,

Kailee