The Museum at FIT (MFIT) has announced a 'Food & Fashion' exhibition that will explore the impact of food and food culture on fashion design.
Swati Bhat
The show, co-curated by Melissa Marra-Alvarez, MFIT's curator of education and research, and Elizabeth Way, the museum's associate curator of costume, will feature over 80 garments and accessories, including outfits by Chanel, Moschino, and Stella McCartney.
The exhibition's commentary is heavily centred on culinary themes and motifs, which are utilised to investigate topics such as luxury, gender, consumerism, sustainability, social action, and body politics.
An introduction exhibition spans from breakfast to supper time in the form of intimate tableaus, as well as delving into social media as a venue where food and fashion collide.
The main gallery is supposed to resemble a 'food hall,' with stalls focusing on 10 different themes, such as haute couture/haute cuisine, dressing to dine, and a feast for the eyes.
Other themes, such as 'Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice?' investigate the relationship between food and gender identities, using a pearl and dessert-print dress by Junya Watanabe as an example.
The show is expected to run from September 13 to November 26, 2023, and will be accompanied by a book and a symposium on November 3.