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Eleanor Lambert: The Empress of 7th Avenue
One of the most seminal figures in the history of American fashion was not, in fact, a designer at all. For more than seven decades, Eleanor Lambert (1903-2003) was American fashion’s greatest champion and advocate, pulling the strings behind the industry’s biggest names and organizations. Born in 1903 in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Lambert was raised by…
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Charles James’ Musings on Poiret
The year prior to his death, the legendary fashion designer, Charles James donated a small selection of correspondence, business records, press clippings and four original sketches to FIT Library’s Special Collections. Over the course of several months, many letters were exchanged between James and FIT librarian Marjorie Miller detailing…
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The Automaton of Marie Antoinette
Material Mode isn’t quite sure how we missed seeing this at The Metropolitan Museum of Art earlier this year, but we’re kicking ourselves. This 18th century automaton was presented to Marie Antoinette in 1784, created by master furniture maker David Roentgen. Roentgen enjoyed considerable favor with the Queen, not only did she patronize him to…
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Hot Accession! Eva: The Journal of Educated Women
Everyone’s who’s been happening through the department recently has had plenty to say about our new accession, Eva. The Czech-language magazine marketed to “educated women” was first issued in 1928 and is simply smart, chic and drop dead gorgeous. We’re happy to report we have nearly the full-run of the title, lacking only the first…