On Show
Legacy of Style
Some of the most extraordinary pieces at The Museum at FIT’s “Fashioning Wonder” exhibit come from the wardrobes of women who shaped style itself.
Before modern museums ever existed, aristocrats, royalty, and scholars amassed cabinets of curiosities—personal collections of rare and remarkable objects that signaled their taste, knowledge, and status. Fashioning Wonder, an inventive new exhibit at The Museum at FIT, takes inspiration from this tradition, exploring how fashion designers and collectors engage with the extraordinary today.
In the museum’s lower level, a dazzling array of objects—jewelry, dresses, hats, even arcane tools like glove stretchers—offers an intimate glimpse into fashion’s eccentricities and cultural resonance. While designers play a central role, the exhibit also highlights those who acquired and cherished these pieces, turning personal style into cultural legacy.
Some of the most striking items on display aren’t museum acquisitions, but donations from the wardrobes of socialites, fashion editors, Broadway stars, and tastemakers who shaped fashion in their own right.
Take Lisa Kirk, the Broadway star best known as the original Lois Lane (Bianca) in Kiss Me, Kate. Her spectacular wardrobe included custom Charles James gowns. After her passing in 1990, her husband donated more than 300 pieces to FIT, including 15 James originals. Among them: the sensual taupe Mermaid evening dress now on view, its sculptural silhouette a testament to James’ mastery.
Or Lauren Bacall, whose sharp style extended far beyond the screen. Among her more than 700 donations to FIT is a one-of-a-kind “oyster shell bag” by Elsa Peretti tucked in a display case. Bacall also played a pivotal role in Peretti’s career. As noted in the exhibition’s digital guide, she encouraged the former model to pivot to jewelry and accessories. In doing so, she galvanized one of the most celebrated jewelry designers of the 20th century.
Elizabeth Arden, the beauty mogul who understood the power of image, also left a mark. Her estate gifted FIT nearly 100 objects, including a late 19th-century Charles Frederick Worth cape. Its delicate ecclesiastical lace accented with black silk chenille and velvet trim is a striking example of how fashion and influence were once inextricably linked.
Fashion editors helped shape FIT’s collection, too. Sally Curtis Iselin, a publishing force with roles at Newsweek, Town & Country, and LIFE before becoming fashion editor at Woman’s Home Companion in 1956, donated a playful pair of orange Courrèges flats adorned with brass bells, a nod to the designer’s revolutionary 1960s aesthetic.
Then there’s Isabel Eberstadt, the New York socialite known for her avant-garde style. Her estate gifted nearly 200 items, including a marvelous feather-embellished table by legendary New York Times street-style photographer Bill Cunningham—who, even after he stopped making hats, never abandoned his obsession with feathers. Sitting atop? A taxidermied-bird headdress by Adolfo, also from Eberstadt’s personal collection, a fitting symbol of her fearless approach to fashion.
Even the smallest items tell a story, like the pair of red silk stockings with playing card motifs, draped near the back. Dating from 1900 and donated by Mrs. William Randolph Hearst Jr., they serve as a reminder that fashion across centuries has always played with whimsy and subversion.
Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities runs until April 20, 2025, at the Museum at FIT, 227 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001. Entry is free. Have something in your collection that might belong in theirs? Here’s how to donate.
