200 Years of New York City Fashion
Did you know that as recently as the 1960s, more than 95% of the apparel purchased within the United States was produced in New York City’s Garment District? While the bulk of today’s garment manufacturing has moved overseas, the city still remains a powerful force in the globalized apparel industry, and a leading source of innovation — this is the story of fashion in New York, and the lives of the legendary designers, image-makers, and style icons who shaped American fashion over the past 200 years.
Join New York Adventure Club on a crash-course through the history of fashion in New York, from the revolutionary impact of its ready-to-wear garment industry in the 1800s, to its current role as a global fashion capital.
Led by fashion historians Sara Idacavage and Tessa Maffucci, this intimate salon-style lecture and presentation hosted inside a private apartment — one which still contains remnants of its former days as a garment factory — will include:
- A deep dive into how New York designers challenged the dictatorship of French fashion, and developed a unique sense of style that became known as “The American Look”
- An overview of New York’s most iconic fashion designers, from Claire McCardell to Tom Ford
- A discussion about the importance of media in the rise of New York fashion
- The history of New York as a shopping mecca, and how department stores and factories shaped the built environment that we still navigate
- Stories of New York’s garment workers and laborers, which remind us that the fashion industry isn’t always glitz and glamour
Afterward, we’ll mingle over complimentary snacks and bubbly with your fellow fashion adventurers, while having the chance to interact with historical objects brought in from Sara’s personal fashion archive!
See you there! $25
*Attendees with pet allergies should take precaution as the private apartment has a dog
**This presentation is limited to 30 guests
About Sara & Tessa
Sara Idacavage is a fashion historian, archivist, and vintage collector with a background in fashion journalism. She currently teaches courses at Parsons School of Design, the Pratt Institute, and the Fashion Institute of Technology, and is an Associate Editor of The Fashion Studies Journal. Sara previously managed the Parsons Fashion Study Collection, served as an archivist for prominent American fashion designers, and worked in the costume collection at the Museum of the City of New York.
Tessa Maffucci is a fashion scholar whose research focuses on the relationship between fashion and labor. She is the Managing Director of Strategy at Custom Collaborative, a nonprofit that supports women from low-income communities in launching fashion careers. Tessa teaches at Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design and is the recipient of the Made in NYC Fellowship, working on an ongoing digital humanities project about labor and making in New York’s Garment Center.
* Must be 21 or older to consume alcohol. ID will be checked at door.
** Ticket price is for educational demonstration with complimentary beverage tastings.
Categories: Historic Sites, Hidden Spots, Arts, Social
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