Today, my friends and I went to the FIT Museum out of curiosity. We decided that we should take a look at it since we were so close to it. The ongoing exhibit is called “Force of Nature,” and there were some stunning pieces of fashion displayed. According to the pamphlet, “the exhibition reveals how nature has historically influenced fashion, and how fashion can serve as an indicator of society’s relationship with the natural world.” One of the first pieces that caught my eye was a beautiful evening gown with a flower-like bodice. It was designed by Charles James in the 20th century, and he was known for envisioning his clients as exotic flowers. Many of the dresses were based on European fashion and designed with the theme of nature in mind. There were dresses with floral textiles, and there were dresses with animal patterns. One of my favorite animal-themed dresses was based on the red tanager. It was a black and red dress accompanied with a hat adorned with red and black feathers. It was quite fascinating to see all these pieces of European clothing featuring different flowers and animals that were found in nature. I was always interested in fashion, so this exhibit was really cool in my opinion. The exhibit was not that big, though. My friends and I expected that it would be a lot larger, but despite its small size, it was nice to see so many different pieces of fashion.I learned a lot of information about the history related to the fashion and the designers who made the pieces. It was trivial information for me, but it provided a different insight on the history from the 18th century to the 20th century, especially on the Enlightenment. Although the exhibit itself did not really assist me in my first semester here at Baruch, it was nice to socialize and spend time with my friends outside of the school. I have not explored the city a lot, so it was nice to go to a new area and familiarize myself with this place.
