While in New York on Saturday, I made a special trip up to the Museum at FIT to check out two exhibits. The first was the Ivy Style exhibit and the second are highlights of their permanent collection.
Gah. What a great value the Museum at FIT has in that it’s F-R-E-E.
What did I think? I loved both exhibits for different reasons. The Ivy Style is a little insular in its view.
Ivy Style celebrates one of the most enduring clothing styles of the 20th century. It examines the “Ivy League Look,” which began during the early years of the century on the quads and in the libraries of elite, all-male, American universities, such as Harvard, Yale, and especially Princeton. — from the website
I saw my friend Jon shortly after visiting this exhibit. He went to Princeton and I told him he should check out the exhibit. But, as an early 40s, straight, Jewish male obsessed with the Giants, he said it sounded ‘dumb’. heh.
Yes, Ivy style means WASPY, wealthy, American style that was only worn by the elite for many years. The donations come from names like Muffy, Rockefeller and Forbes. It’s a slice of Americana that as a child of immigrants I’ve only observed from afar and in books. Personally, I would have been curious to see how the Ivy Style was interpreted / trickled down at the Howards and Morehouses and Spellmans or state schools across the country.
The selections from the permanent collection I had to fly through. But, what can I say. I wanted to grab entire dressforms fully clothed and dash out the building.
If you can go, I recommend both.
