The Museum at FIT presents Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities, an innovative exhibition running from February 19th to April 20th, 2025. The show explores the fascinating relationship between historical cabinets of curiosities and fashion, featuring nearly 200 garments and accessories from the museum’s permanent collection. The exhibition aims to evoke curiosity through objects that are rare, beautiful, or conceptually intriguing.
The introductory gallery provides historical context, tracing the origins of cabinets of curiosities from the 16th century and their evolution into modern museums. It also examines themes of colonialism, collecting, and the role of curiosity in artistic expression.
The main gallery is divided into ten thematic sections, each with a unique exhibition design that reinterprets cabinets of curiosities through a fashion lens. Specimens explores fashion’s engagement with nature, featuring a variety of earrings displayed in glass jars like scientific specimens and a zebra-patterned Tom Ford gown from Fall 2013, complete with a horsehair mane.
Aviary is marked by a large central birdcage showcasing feathered accessories, referencing the historical prestige of bird collections. The section highlights both the luxury and ethical implications of using feathers in fashion, featuring a never-before-seen feather-covered table by Bill Cunningham.
Anatomical Theatre investigates designers’ fascination with the human form, presenting a 2013 metallic leather dress by Arzu Kaprol with skeletal cut-outs. This section recalls the anatomical specimens once housed in cabinets of curiosities, blurring the lines between science and art. The exhibition also celebrates craftsmanship in the Artisanship section, displaying exquisitely made miniature fashion objects and historical tools used in garment-making. Notable pieces include a sculptural mid-20th-century hat block and a late-19th-century dress form. Kunstkammer examines the connection between fashion and fine art, featuring a 2018 Comme des Garçons dress printed with Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s 1591 painting Vertumnus. This piece embodies the tradition of collecting and repurposing art in unexpected ways.
The concept of vanitas is explored through symbolic fashion objects, including Sophia Webster’s butterfly shoes and a skull-shaped leather bag by AMBUSH x Masaya Kushino. These items serve as reminders of life’s transience, drawing inspiration from 17th-century still-life paintings. Optical illusions and visual trickery take center stage in Reflections and Refractions, featuring a rhinestone-covered dress designed by CD Greene for Tina Turner in 1996. The use of mirrors within the exhibition enhances the play on perception and light.
The Illusions section showcases the art of trompe l’oeil in fashion, with a standout 1955 Pucci dress printed to resemble mink fur. This piece exemplifies the enduring appeal of deceptive visual effects in design.
Encouraging audience participation, the final sections invite visitors to engage directly with objects. What Is It? challenges guests to identify unusual historical fashion accessories, while The Senses offers a tactile replica of a 1948 Molyneux dress and recorded sounds of vintage garments in motion.
Curated by Dr. Colleen Hill, Fashioning Wonder provides a fresh perspective on fashion as a vehicle for curiosity, craftsmanship, and storytelling. The exhibition invites visitors to rediscover the wonder of collecting and the rich dialogue between history, art, and contemporary design.
Images courtesy of MUSEUM AT FIT
