His and Hers

The Museum at FIT presents His & Hers, a new exhibition exploring the relationship between gender and fashion over the past 250 years. Clothing can act as an immediate signifier of gender – however, while making distinctions between “masculine” and “feminine” styles of clothing may seem natural, gendering is not a biological phenomenon. This exhibition will examine the social and cultural factors behind gender conventions as related to fashion, and how such conventions have changed over time. While much of the show will discuss the changing ideas of “appropriate” attire for each gender, it will also include examples of so-called unisex and androgynous fashion.

Featuring more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles from the Museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition will begin with complementary “His and Hers” clothing by designers who have created fashions for both men and women. Continuing chronologically, featured objects will range from a seemingly “feminine” 18th-century man’s velvet suit, to a woman’s “power suit” from the 1980s. Curated by Colleen Hill and Jennifer Farley, the exhibition will also include work by innovative designers such as Giorgio Armani, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Gianni Versace, and Vivienne Westwood.