Paris has its scarves and skinny suits, Milan has its luxe leather and London its swinging miniskirts, but ask American designers what they’ve added to fashion and the collective answer is democracy, from wrap dresses worn by working women in the 1970s to a dress worn by the first lady.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, in honor of its 50th anniversary this year, asked its membership, which includes president Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Sean Combs and Michael Kors, to craft their own “impact statements” and choose outfits and photos they feel best represent their signature styles for a new exhibit opening Saturday at the Museum at FIT in Manhattan. There are 80 outfits on display in the show, called “Impact: 50 Years of the CFDA,” but the works of 450 designers are represented in a multimedia display and a companion book.
“There is something magical about the way this group was founded back in 1962, in a small room off of Seventh Avenue. It was the brain trust of 20 passionate designers who were motivated to create a safe haven for the members of their community. They sought to protect and promote their own,” von Furstenberg writes in the book. “Nearly half a century later, through triumphs and failures, with businesses made and broken, that small assemblage has evolved into a modern family of over 400 members.”
Von Furstenberg lent to the museum one of her original wrap dresses from the 1970s, a symbol of the working-women’s movement, while Oscar de la Renta, a former CFDA president, offered up a gown, accented in neon, from his current spring collection. (De la Renta always says his newest designs are his most important.)
A surprise came from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in talking about their contribution, said Patricia Mears, museum deputy director and curator. They didn’t note their celebrity or even the accolades earned by their collection The Row, instead saying they were most proud of a commitment to manufacturing in the United States.
“‘Impact’ in America is interpreted a lot of ways. It has a lot of diversity. It could be making things affordable, it could be quality like haute couture,” said Mears.
