All That Glitters...

February 26, 2025 - March 23, 2025

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

(227 West 27th St.) 

The School of Graduate Studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology, in collaboration with The Museum at FIT, presents All That Glitters…, a new exhibition conceived of and organized by graduate students in the college's Fashion and Textiles Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice program. The exhibition invites visitors to delve into the world of glitter and sparkle in fashion and textiles, and to learn how the lustrous allure of gold and shine has captured people's attention in modern times.

All that glitters is not gold–rather, glitter can be made by any material that catches the light, shines, and reflects. The post-WWII era benefited from a remarkable blossoming of new textiles and technologies that changed the relationship between fashion mediums and light. All That Glitters… explores surfaces that shimmer, through the themes of production, social and financial values, and conservation.

Glitter and glimmer have endured in fashion for centuries, and the modern materials used–which are often not biodegradable–are equally persistent. The exhibition examines not only the bright side of these substances, but also the more controversial aspects, including the environmental impact and the problematic act of "glitter bombing."

The exhibition ideas are presented in a dual hybrid format with an online companion component launching on March 20, 2025. The physical exhibition at MFIT features garments selected from specialized study collections maintained by the Museum and the MA Fashion and Textile Studies program. The objects–typically only accessed by students and researchers–are publicly displayed for the first time. The online exhibition showcases the same subjects through MFIT's permanent fashion collections.

All That Glitters… consists of three thematic sections. Thread centers on new uses of technology during the post-WWII era, when synthetic metallics like Lurex emerged as accessible and democratized alternatives to precious metal threads. A Dior Boutique evening gown exemplifies how the label helped to renew the art of embroidery during the 1950s with metallic thread.

Fabric explores the dualities inherent to glittering fabrics: their ability to convey warmth or coolness, elegance or gaudiness, authenticity or artifice, wealth or marginalization. An innovative Kenneth Richards ensemble, made from iridescent blue vinyl, epitomizes the cyberesque chic of the 1990s. The matching set of crop top, jacket and mini skirt demonstrates Richards's use of futuristic fabrics for the everyday consumer.

In addition to a brief look at glitter's role in celebrity culture, Adornment examines the class implications of fabrics and its significance to both the non-White and queer cultures, including drag, camp, and protest movements. A traditional Chinese qipao, worn at a wedding reception in 1994, and purchased from a California boutique catering primarily to Chinese and Vietnamese clientele, emphasizes how sequins can be a form of cultural expression within marginalized communities.

The permanent companion website (launching late March 2025) features a showstopping Zandra Rhodes evening set, circa 1981, made from gold lamé, and Nicola Bowery's 1988 men's ensemble, consisting of a denim vest covered with sequins and beads with upcycled Gap denim pants, worn to the first Love Ball AIDS benefit by punk singer and activist Johnny Rotten.