The Body: Fashion and Physique—A Curatorial Discussion

Abstract

Curatorial practice is a complex process that aims to educate visitors through objects, text, display, and design as they move through a three-dimensional gallery space. This essay offers a view into the planning of The Body: Fashion and Physique exhibition, which was on view at The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) from December 5, 2017–May 5, 2018, and which also acted as a catalyst for this special issue of Fashion Theory. I discuss key objects from the show and consider their historical significance in tandem with theoretical issues that formed the basis of the exhibition's concept. I also explore some of the challenges that arose for me during the curatorial process, such as grappling with the typical display practices of a fashion museum. A goal of this essay, as well as this issue more broadly, is to open a frank dialog within the fashion studies community about the role the museum can play in both challenging and perpetuating narratives about body size, aging, ability, race, and gender identity in fashion.

Keywords:

• museums
• the body
• fashion exhibitions
• fashion history
• diversity

Acknowledgements

I am extremely grateful to Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator for The Museum at FIT (MFIT), for her continued support of my work and me. I also wish to thank the advisory committee members for The Body: Fashion and Physique: Deborah Beard, Amanda Czerniawski, Gary Dakin, Fred Dennis, Joanne Entwistle, Nancy Etcoff, Colleen Hill, Grace Jun, Tanya Melendez, Aimee Mullins, Lauren Downing Peters, Tamsen Young, and Sarah Ziff. They offered invaluable guidance throughout the process. Special thanks are due to the incredibly talented team at MFIT: Julian Clark, Tommy Synnamon, Michael Goitia, Ryan Wolfe, Ann Coppinger, Marjorie Jonas, Lauren Posada, Eileen Costa, and Jill Hemingway. Without them, the exhibition would not have been possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emma McClendon

Emma McClendon is the Associate Curator of Costume at the Museum at FIT. She holds an M.A. (Hons) in Art History from the University of St. Andrews and an M.A. in the History of Dress from the Courtauld Institute of Art. Past publications include Denim: Fashion's Frontier (2016) and Yves Saint Laurent + Halston: Fashioning the 70s (2015).[email protected]