The FIT Exhibit

The first task this morning was to look around the museum at the FIT, (Fashion Institute of Technology). I was excited for two reasons, one to see the amazing exhibits, detailing the changing face of fashion through the ages and the creative innovations that took place. Secondly, I wanted to get a feel for FIT in general as I am considering applying for the exchange trip at the beginning of the second year.

The exhibits were American Beauty, exploring the aesthetics and innovations in fashion and Night&Day, the fashion and textile history gallery. I was impressed with the Night&Day exhibit which I went to first, showing how the rules of fashion dictate how women should dress according to the time of day or the occasion. It was fascinating to see the huge changes in style that happened over such a relatively short amount of time. The difference in dress from the late 1800s to the 1920s was incredible. I was amazed at how corsets and full skirts and petticoats completely vanished in the space of a decade, making way for the flapper era of the roaring 20s. I was also fascinated by the fashion rule breaking of the 60s and 70s, in particular Yves Saint Laurent's 'le smoking' female tuxedo.

The second exhibit, American Beauty explored innovative clothing construction that changed the world of fashion: Anythng from an unexpected use of material, an unusual cut or exposurem geometric forms, structured gowns, embroidery and embellishments.

Photography was of course, strictly forbidden, which makes describing the outfits much more difficult, nonetheless, it was definately worth the visit.

Arriving in New York

The journey was quite uneventful. I was slightly amused when I was filling in the visa form and one of the questions asked me if I had been involved with Nazi activity between 1939 and 1945. I thought long and hard about this questions and came to the conclusion that, as I wasn't actually alive at that point, it was unlikely.

Walking through airport security always scares me a little bit and I start to feel like a criminal, which means I tend to act like I've done something wrong and have something to hide. It seemed to be over much quicker than usual though and before I knew what was happening I was standing in front of a security guard pressing each of my fingers into a fingerprint scanner. He scrutinised my passport and asked me a lot of questions about the huge array of stamps in there. He seemed to find it highly suspicious that I had been to so many countries in such a short amount of time and this again made me feel like I had done something wrong. Eventually, he let me go through to collect my luggage and a few moments later I was breathing in the air of New York City.

The coach came to pick us up and I got perhaps a little too excited at the sight of my first yellow taxi cab. The road into the city was just how I imagined it would be as the skyscrapers started to rise up from the horizon.

First impressions of the hotel we were staying at really impressed me. I was expecting bunk beds in a hostel, not the elaborately decorated, ornate ceilings and spiralling stair cases that met me when I entered the lobby. Despite feeling completely exhausted, I couldn't wait to get out and start exploring the city. I shot upstairs to drop off my stuff and then went straight out to the midtown area to begin my retail research.

Within minutes I had made a mental list of everything that I wanted to buy in the next few days. I was really amazed by the difference in the shopping experience in New York compared to at home. Shops seemed to be so much than shops and there was usually so much to look at.

As the daughter of a lingerie designer, I have a passion for anything underwear related and waster no time in seeking out Victoria's Secret. I loved the layout of the store; it seemed so tidy and felt like you'd walked into somebody's wardrobe. There is only one size of each item on display and then you have to open little underwear drawers to find your own size. It frees up a lot of space and made the visual merchandising seem much more welcoming.

Before long, I could feel my eyes starting to droop and I made my way back to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the group.