FIT’s Bold Launch of Paris Capital of Fashion exhibit during NYFW

In a provocative move FIT launched its Fall exhibit entitled “Paris, Capital of Fashion” on the first day of New York Fashion Week. But a walk through the gallery reveals that the exhibit title is perhaps less of an assertion, more of question. For over 300 years, with particular emphasis on certain periods, the French capital has epitomized decadent glamor. But is it still so? Valerie Steele, Director of The Museum at FIT, describes how the city has been “mythologized” over time, and an “aura” created around it. This is the dialogue which forms the central thread of “Paris, Capital of Fashion.”