Where-To-Go Wednesday: Beyond Utility

What: Beyond Utility 

Where: Museum at FIT

             227 W. 27th St.

             New York, NY

Who: All ages

When: Through March 22, 2025

Beyond Utility is an exhibit that examines how clothing with specific purposes branched out into other areas. Sometimes, members of the fashion industry co-opted a style or an article of clothing into their collections. Other times, specific groups adopted and/or adapted them for their own purposes. At times, this new usage completely subverted the garment or style's original purpose. For instance, military camouflage is meant to hide, but when the style is used for skimpy bathing suits, it does the exact opposite.

 The exhibit is divided into three areas. The first is military garments. In addition to the previously mentioned bathing suit, this section includes trench coat dresses, a hat used by the Harris-Walz campaign, and more. The second is crafting. This section includes items that mimic those that would have been made by hand for domestic purposes. It includes a patchwork-like sweater popularized by the singer, Harry Styles. The final section regards work-related clothing. It shows how clothing, including overalls and jumpsuits, originally used for specific work-related purposes, began to be used for other purposes, including general fashion. 

And that's our view. The Museum at FIT is open Wednesday through Friday. There is no admission fee. For more information about this exhibit, specific museum hours, or any other information regarding the museum, go to www.fitnyc.edu/museum/index.php. 

Please note this exhibit closes this weekend. Accordingly, if you are interested, you should visit soon. 

Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.