clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

The Museum at FIT's Next Exhibit Will Explore the Link Between Fashion and Uniforms

Tom Ford fall 2014 jersey dress
Tom Ford fall 2014 jersey dress
Getty Images

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

The fashion industry loves a uniform. Fashion people often use the term to refer to their go-to outfits, and designers constantly take cues from the uniforms of other industries. The Museum at FIT will illustrate this with its just-announced exhibit, Uniformity, that'll focus on four categories of uniforms: military, work, school, and sports.

Though military touches are a common theme in fashion, Uniformity will go even further by paying close attention to the uniforms worn, for example, by chauffeurs in the 1930s, a maids in the 1950s, and nurses during World War I and II, the latter of which will be shown alongside Louise Dahl-Wolfe's photographs that ran in Harper's Bazaar in the 1940s.

From there, the exhibit will take a look at schoolgirl uniforms and their influence with the very first uniform dress issued to female students at Marymount College (we wonder if Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" look will make the cut). Lastly, we'll see designs from the likes of Geoffrey Beene, Stella Jean, and Gucci that highlight how the bold insignias and markings of athletic jerseys have influenced the logo-driven branding of many luxury brands.

Uniformity will be on view from May 20th through November 19th in the museum's gallery; in the meantime, check out the exhibits on fairy tale fashion and the women who changed magazines.

Museum at FIT

227 W 27th Street, New York, NY 10001 (212) 217-4558 Visit Website